The Birdcage
by ChiChi May
Summary: AU I suck at sums.Sakura and Tomoyo r princesses,Sakura gets captured,Tomoyo wants to save her.ET SS Chapter 14 is up! I'm sorry!
1. Kinomoto Kingdom Annihilated

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's note: Yes that's right. I enjoy medieval times! I liked writing this chapter a lot and I hope you guys enjoy it! By the way I took some uh… advice? from Sunnflower and used Syaoran instead of Li. So there… I think I covered everything. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Kinomoto Kingdom Annihilated

Tomoyo Daidouji stood on her balcony watching the townspeople run around completing all of their tasks. She was 16 years old, living in the Kinomoto palace with her cousins, princess Sakura and soon-to-be king Touya. Touya's coronation was tonight and every important person in the kingdom would be there. Sakura ran into Tomoyo's chambers, "Isn't it beautiful," she asked, referring to her dress.

It was an emerald green dress with bell shaped sleeves, and the hem of the dress was ankle-length. "It's gorgeous!" Tomoyo beamed.

Sakura looked outside of her window, "It looks so fun down there."

Tomoyo shrugged, "I want to go there sometime."

Sakura sighed and headed out of Tomoyo's chambers, "You know we're not allowed outside of the castle."

Tomoyo moved towards her bed and knelt down, pulling out commoner clothes from underneath. Sakura had already left, so now was the time to go. Even if living in a castle was a dream come true, Tomoyo still felt like something was missing. Maybe that thing was waiting for her in the village. She put the commoner's clothes on and snuck out.

…The village…

Tomoyo strolled through the village. There were many shops, and people. An old man tapped her on the shoulder, "Excuse me miss, would you like to buy some apples?"

"Oh yes please," Tomoyo dug into her pocket and pulled out a sac of gold coins.

"It's only 2 gold," he extended to her a juicy red apple.

Tomoyo looked down at the gold sac. She had at least 100 gold in there. She poured 50 gold out of the pouch and gave it to the man. She took the apple and smiled, "Have a nice day sir."

The man nodded his head, "You are too kind, young miss."

Tomoyo kept walking and took a bite out of the apple. She came to a field where many people were sword fighting. There was a young couple teaching each person how to fight, "You must work if you wish to be in the king's army," the man shouted.

The young woman approached Tomoyo, "You seem interested in sword art."

Tomoyo nodded. "Don't say much?" the woman tilted her head, "Oh well, doesn't matter. My name is Nakuru! And over there," she pointed at the man, "That's my honey Yukito!"

Nakuru was very energetic, "Are you going to the coronation tonight?" she continued before Tomoyo gave an answer, "I'm going! Yukito's a castle guard so we get to go. Isn't that cool?"

Tomoyo looked at Yukito. He was familiar; he almost looked like the soldier who was always with Touya. Yukito glanced at Tomoyo and came up to her, "You aren't supposed to leave the castle princess."

"I want to see the town," Tomoyo shook her head.

Yukito took her arm and dragged her to the castle, "I'm sorry your majesty, but it's for your own good."

Tomoyo ripped her arm away from him and ran through the village. She could hear Yukito running after her, calling her name, but his voice disappeared after a while. She turned the corner just to get out of sight and she ran into someone. They must have been running too, because the impact made Tomoyo fall backwards. "Owww!" the two of them shouted.

Tomoyo felt the weight of another person on top of her. "Sorry, I was not looking where I was going," Tomoyo apologized.

She opened her eyes and saw a upper-class boy with dark hair, cerulean eyes shielded by glasses. The boy blushed then rolled off of her. Tomoyo felt herself blush as well. "I apologize for that miss," he stood up and quickly bowed.

He helped her up and smiled, "Have we met?"

The boy did seem to some extent familiar, but she couldn't remember. "I'm sorry, I do not remember meeting you before."

"Hmm… You're right. I would have remembered someone as fair as you."

Tomoyo felt her face grow hot. "So what is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Tomoyo."

"My name is Eriol."

Tomoyo laughed, "Eriol Hiiragizawa?" he nodded, "I'm sure."

Eriol Hiiragizawa was very well known by all royalty. He was prince Syaoran's relative, and one of the best fighters in the Li Kingdom. "You don't believe me?" his eyebrows rose.

"Of course I don't. Everyone knows that he wouldn't come near a commoner, let alone speak to one."

"You don't seem like a commoner. What is your line of work?"

"I'm a pr…" Tomoyo stopped. Maybe she shouldn't tell him.

Eriol smiled, "You're a…"

"I'm a servant of princess Sakura," she lied.

"Oh, well let me escort you back to the palace then," and offered his arm to her.

She smiled and took it, "If you are Eriol, then I am very impressed."

…At the palace doors…

"Tomoyo!" Sakura came running down to her.

Tomoyo looked at Eriol. 'He'll suspect something if I don't bow down to her,' she thought. Tomoyo curtsied, "Good evening your majesty. I'm sorry I took so long in the village."

Sakura stopped and stared at Tomoyo with a confused look on her face. "Hello princess Sakura," Eriol bowed.

"Oh, hello um…" Sakura sighed, "I'm sorry I cannot remember your name sir."

"Eriol," he reminded, "I ran into your maid, and I escorted her back to the castle."

Sakura saw Tomoyo wink and smiled, "Yes, I sent her into the village to deliver a package to one of the castle guards."

Tomoyo nodded, then turned to Eriol, "Thank you for escorting me back to the castle sir," she curtsied.

Tomoyo then ran into the castle.

…Tomoyo's chambers…

Tomoyo changed back into her normal clothes and walked out onto her balcony. She leaned on the railing, "That was weird."

She looked down and saw Eriol and Sakura having a chat. She smiled a bit. 'Eriol was quite handsome, and he's such a gentleman,' she thought. She looked into the village. 'I should go there more often.'

…Palace doors…

Eriol looked up in the palace, and saw Tomoyo standing on the balcony. She saw him and ran back into her chambers. She wasn't wearing commoner clothes anymore, but they were clothes more like a princess'. "She's not a maid, is she?" he asked.

"Who Tomoyo?" Sakura asked, "No. She probably didn't trust you, so she lied."

"Meaning that I'll see her at prince Touya's coronation."

Sakura smiled, "You like her?"

Eriol shrugged, "Possibly."

…Tomoyo's chambers…

Tomoyo looked past the village. Very close to it was a large crowd of men and horses. An army. 'Our army must be patrolling the land.' She decided to go into the steam room.

…Throne Room…

Sakura entered the room and found Touya and king Fujitaka getting ready for battle. "Sakura, go hide," Touya ordered.

"What's going on?" Sakura demanded.

A soldier burst into the room, "They're attacking the village!"

"Did you see which army it was?" king Fujitaka enquired.

Sakura ran to the window, "They're wearing green armour."

"Li Kingdom," Touya growled. He looked at the two, "Sakura, do you guys have your bracelet?"

The princess looked down at her wrist. Sakura had a bracelet with a green orb. "Where's Tomoyo?" Fujitaka asked.

"I don't know father," Sakura cried.

They heard someone outside shout, "They've breached the castle gates!"

"Go hide, and if they find you, do not let them have your bracelets," Touya commanded.

Sakura ran and hid in the kitchen with the maids. The maids Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika were all huddling in the corner. They could hear the sound of people screaming throughout the castle. Sakura joined them. "Maybe they won't find us," Sakura whispered.

Sakura spoke too soon. A group of soldiers came marching into the room and seized all five of them. Two men, about the same age as all of them entered the room. One of them was most likely king Syaoran, king of the Li Kingdom. His cold amber eyes examined Sakura, then Tomoyo, then the maids. The other was Eriol. "We are here for the element orb," Eriol stated.

Each girl looked confused. Syaoran rolled his eyes and grabbed Sakura's arm. Eriol came closer to her and examined the bracelet on her wrist, "This is the one."

Syaoran ripped the bracelet off of Sakura's wrist and walked away dragging her with him. "Princess!" the maids screamed and tried to break out of the soldier's grip.

Syaoran turned and smirked at the maids, "Hiiragizawa, dispose of these girls if they do not posses another element orb."

Eriol started on the right, drew his sword, and held the tip against Chiharu's neck. "Please, I beg of you," Chiharu whimpered.

Eriol glanced at her wrist and pulled his sword back. "Close your eyes," Eriol commanded, "This will only hurt for a second."

Sakura looked away, but Syaoran forced her head in their direction. Chiharu closed her eyes. Tears were streaming from her face. Eriol swung his sword, and blood streaked across the room falling on the other girls' garments. Chiharu's head fell to the ground and her body dropped, sputtering blood all over. The three girls stared at the head in shock, then screamed. Sakura stayed silent though, instead she cried. She watched Eriol cut off Naoko and Rika's heads off as well, then he finally got to her. "You may leave," he dismissed the other soldiers, "Continue destroying the village."

Syaoran also continued to drag Sakura out of the castle. She tried to get away, but he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Aren't you going to kill me?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran shook his head; "I need you alive in order to function the orb."

Sakura glared at him, "What do you want with the element orbs?"

"That's none of your business."

"Why?"

Syaoran frowned, "You ask too many questions."

…Steam room…

Tomoyo sat in the steam room, "Why are there people screaming?"

There was a lot of warm steam in the room. Tomoyo could barely see in front of her. She heard someone enter the room. Tomoyo looked down at her body. All she had on was a towel, and she would dislike it if someone would see her like that. "Is someone there?" Tomoyo called out.

"Tomoyo?" a deep voice asked.

"Touya! Get out!" Tomoyo shrieked.

"Everyone in the palace is dead," the voice said.

Tomoyo unwillingly came closer to the source of the voice, "Lies. Who are you?"

Someone touched her shoulder, and she whipped around, "Eriol!"

"Your highness."

"How did you know that I-"

"Princess Sakura told me."

"Where is she? What's going on?"

They heard footsteps coming, and Tomoyo continued shouting. "Princess, be silent," Eriol told her.

But she continued to shout at him. He placed his lips over hers, and heard footsteps on the other side of the room, "Sire, the Kinomoto Kingdom is demolished. King Fujitaka and prince Touya are dead, and king Syaoran had the element orb in his position."

Eriol felt tears on Tomoyo's face. He pulled away from her and gently covered her mouth with his hand, "Very well, you may leave."

The door closed and he removed his hand from Tomoyo's mouth. That was not how Tomoyo wanted her first kiss to go. She brought her hand up and smacked Eriol across the face. "Owww! I just saved your life! You should be grateful," Eriol shouted.

This was true, but Tomoyo wasn't going to prove him right. "Get out, I have to change," Tomoyo hissed.

"Fine," Eriol growled, "Until next time your highness."

Eriol strolled out of the room. Tomoyo grabbed her clothes and put them on she then wrapped a bracelet with a blue orb on it around her wrist.

…Outside of the kingdom…

Sakura was tied up sitting in a carriage across from king Syaoran. "Where are we going?" Sakura looked out of the window.

"My palace," Syaoran responded examining Sakura's bracelet.

"I wish Tomoyo was here," she murmured and leaned against the window.

"Who?" Syaoran questioned.

"That's none of your business," Sakura mimicked him from before.

…The village…

Tomoyo walked through the ruined territory. All the stores were set on fire, many dead corpses laid on the road, and the survivors wept over the deceased. She had only seen this kind of death once. A particular woman caught Tomoyo's attention. "Yukito! Yukito! Wake up!" she wailed.

"Nakuru!" Tomoyo ran up to her.

"They killed him!" Nakuru cried, "All he did was protect prince Touya."

Tomoyo patted her on the back, "I'm very sorry."

She looked away and recognized Touya's body lying on the ground. She approached the body, and noticed that Touya was still breathing. "Touya!" she kneeled down by his side.

"To-Tomoyo," he gasped for air.

There was a stab wound in his stomach. "Your bracelet… activate… with… the," he stopped and coughed out some blood.

"With what?" Tomoyo demanded.

"The golden sun," Touya closed his eyes.

"Wait Touya! I don't know how to do that!" Tomoyo shouted.

But Touya was already dead. Tomoyo took Touya's sword, "I'll avenge our kingdom, Touya."

Nakuru stood behind Tomoyo, "Then I shall teach you the sword."

Tomoyo stood up and accepted Nakuru's offer. She would take revenge for her kingdom, unlock the element orb's power, and would retrieve princess Sakura.

**ChiChi's Note: Well yeah. There you go! Review please.**


	2. Cage

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Okay, don't judge my fanfic right away, because I'm just getting warmed up! I'm sorry that Sakura seems a bit weak, but she will kick later on! Okay, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Cage

Tomoyo rose her bracelet up and let it rest in the sun, "Come on. Work you idiotic thing!"

Tomoyo and Nakuru had left the Kinomoto Kingdom and were on their way to Chikara Kingdom. Chikara was the largest kingdom in the land and it was rumoured that they were preparing for battle with the Li Kingdom. They had stopped in a village to stock up on food and Tomoyo stayed with the horses while Nakuru went shopping. Tomoyo attempted to activate her bracelet by holding it to the sun, but it didn't work. Something hit her hard on the shoulder. Tomoyo looked down at a red apple on the ground. "Okay, if you want to be good at this, then you have to be expecting things to pop out and hurt you," Nakuru stated.

Tomoyo mounted her horse, "How long will this take?"

Nakuru climbed onto her horse as well, "Well, my regular learners take about a few years."

Tomoyo groaned in frustration, "I'm a quick learner."

Nakuru smiled with satisfaction. Never once had she seen someone with so much loyalty towards her family. They rode off, hoping to reach Chikara soon.

…Li Kingdom…

King Syaoran left Sakura unguarded in the carriage. She stared at the door with confusion. Should she run for it? Or was he standing there waiting for her to escape? She stepped out of the coach and looked at her surroundings. This king really was dense! He left her all alone without any guards. She ran.

She entered the Li Kingdom's village and found it to be rather gloomy. It was the complete opposite of the Kinomoto Kingdom's village. This place made Sakura frightened. It was like the entire village was a prison cell. "Princess Sakura, I suggest that you do not flee," a voice came from behind her.

She turned to the person behind her, "Eriol," she growled, "It doesn't matter my father and brother will come for me."

"No they won't," Eriol laughed, "We killed your family, and I mean all of them."

Eriol knew that was a lie, but it was amusing to watch Sakura struggle. He left Tomoyo alive. There was no harm in doing so, for she was only a mere princess. "Y-you killed Tomoyo?" Sakura gasped.

"Yeah," Eriol smirked, and decided to go further, "You want to know how she died?"

Sakura shook her head. Why would Eriol kill her? Didn't he like her? Didn't he need her to activate the other element orb? "She was in her room getting ready for the coronation. She didn't hear any screams from the villagers, the servants, or the guards," Sakura closed her eyes. Eriol continued, "I sent a couple of guards into her room to… how could I put this? To damage her, then kill her."

Sakura glared at Eriol. He purposely emphasized the word damage to tell her that Tomoyo was raped. Eriol grinned maliciously; he wouldn't have done that to Tomoyo. He felt strangely attracted to her, but he would never see that girl again. She was probably somewhere hiding from the remaining Li soldiers who patrolled the territory. While he was deep in thought Sakura attacked him, "You killed my family you maggot!"

Suddenly, a rope wrapped around her neck, restraining her. "I thought I told you to stay in the carriage," Syaoran's voice noted.

Sakura pulled the rope away from her neck; "I don't take orders from you."

Syaoran scowled, "Hiiragizawa, put her in the cage."

"Cage?" Sakura repeated.

Eriol grabbed her arm and hauled her to the castle, "Yes, cage. You shouldn't have upset him. You could have stayed out of it."

Eriol brought her into the dark, candlelit palace. They arrived at a door with red markings on it, that Sakura couldn't read. "What do-" Sakura began.

"It's an ancient spell used to protect this room. As long as the writing remains on the door, no enemy may enter," Eriol explained.

He pushed open the door and led her into a scarlet room with a large fountain in the middle. It was a cheerful room, unlike the other parts of the castle, but it was still a prison cell for Sakura saw four golden cages hanging four feet above the floor. Two cages were already occupied and the guard opened the other for her. Eriol shoved her in, and wrapped a shackle around her neck, and chained her to the bottom of the cage. Eriol laughed, "I'll let you ladies get acquainted."

He snapped his fingers and left with the guards. Sakura looked into the other two cages. One of the girls was most likely from the Li Kingdom. She was dressed like all of the nobles here. She was wearing a red, silky dress. That type of material was very costly in the Kinomoto Kingdom; she must have been a princess. The girl stared at Sakura with her fiery eyes, and then smiled. The other looked very peculiar. She had short blonde hair. That was a very rare hair colour in Japan. Her clothes were even stranger. She wore a white dress with only one kimono sleeve; the other sleeve was made from a white stringed fishnet. On the skirt, there was a slit going up to her hip and showing of her legs. Sakura had never seen an outfit like hers before. "Hello, I'm Meilin!" the girl in the red dress greeted, "And that's Odelette."

"Pleasure to meet you," Sakura smiled.

…Chikara Kingdom…

Tomoyo and Nakuru rode into Chikara. Tomoyo looked around in amazement. All of these people looked alike! They all had blonde hair and strange white clothes. "Have you never been to Chikara?" Nakuru asked.

Tomoyo shook her head. Chikara was unknown territory for Tomoyo. Never had she seen a blonde person in Japan. She knew many different races had come to Japan, but she never knew about this one. They were all speaking in a foreign language and looked at Tomoyo and Nakuru in awe. Nakuru stopped in front of a crowd of women and hopped off of her horse. "Good evening ladies, would you please tell me where the castle entrance is?" Nakuru questioned.

"Iteez down zee rrroad," one of them responded.

Nakuru nodded and got back on the horse, "Okay! Let's go!"

They rode of to the castle.

…Li castle…

Sakura looked at both of the girls. They had stopped talking after Meilin introduced herself. "May I ask where you two come from?" Sakura broke the silence.

Meilin smiled, "I'm from the Li Kingdom. I'm from the village. Once king Syaoran found out that I had an element orb he put me in this cage. He didn't like the fact that I was a commoner so he made me change into a more aristocratic attire."

Odelette leaned against her cages bars, "I am zee 'ead arrrms woman of Chikara. Zee king capturrred me during a... guerre… comment c'est dit ça?" Odelette started speaking in another language that made Sakura even more confused, "What izeet called when two arrrmies trrry to take eachotherrr's land?"

"War," Meilin responded with a laugh, "In Chikara, they speak some language called um, French or something. I've never heard of the language, but it makes her sound really funny."

"It juste rrrolls my Rrrs and I cannot prrronounce zee uh…" Odelette looked at Meilin.

"Hs," Meilin sighed.

"I'm from the Kinomoto Kingdom. I was the princess there, but now my kingdom's annihilated," Sakura sighed at the thought of her family being gone.

"Which element are you?" Meilin asked, "I'm fire."

"I am airrr," Odelette raised her bracelet.

"I don't get it," Sakura stared at hers.

"Zee colourrr of yourrr bracelette shows the element," Odelette smiled, "What colourrr izeet?

"Green," Sakura responded.

"So you're earth," Meilin concluded.

"I wonderrr who 'as zee waterrr orrrb," Odelette pondered.

Tears began to well in Sakura's eyes. She remembered when her and Tomoyo were younger. Her father came up to them and gave them both similar bracelets. Tomoyo received one with a blue orb, and Sakura got one with a green orb. "She's dead now," Sakura muttered.

"Impossible!" Odelette shouted in a French accent, "Zee king needs zee girrrl to acteevate zee bracelette."

Meilin rolled her eyes, "What she's saying is that the other girl can't be dead. Only the first owners of the element orbs can start the powers of the element orb. The only way that she could be dead would be if the girl-"

"Tomoyo," Sakura interrupted, "Her name's Tomoyo."

"Whoa! Princess Tomoyo Daidouji?" Meilin demanded.

Sakura nodded. "It's said that she is dead," Meilin continued, "Anyways, the only way that Tomoyo could be dead is if she activated her power and passed it on to someone else."

Sakura smiled, "That means she's still alive! Touya told us that there's clues to activating the bracelets but he refused to tell them to us!"

"My clue iz: 'old yourrr 'and overrr yourrr 'earrrt," Odelette tried to say, "Iteez a toong tweest."

"Tongue twister," Meilin corrected, "Mine's: Open your eyes to the beginning."

"How do I know what my clue is?" Sakura groaned.

"There's a book in the castle library that has all the clues in it," Meilin mentioned.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Sakura asked.

"When king Syaoran found me, I was all alone and he was still building this room, so he locked me up in the library and the only thing I could do in there was read," Meilin shrugged.

"She iz verrry smarrrt, iz she not?" Odelette looked at Meilin with envy.

…Chikara Kingdom…

Tomoyo stared at the young man in front of her. He was the king of Chikara. They were in the throne room, which was filled with people. "Hello princess Tomoyo welcome to my kingdom," the king greeted.

Tomoyo got even more confused, "You don't have an accent."

The king laughed, and lifted the pendant hanging from his neck, "I'm actually speaking my language, but this pendant translates my words into the language you understand the best."

Nakuru entered the room, and blew a kiss to the king, "Evening, lovely."

The people in the room began to whisper at Nakuru's actions. "I see you still haven't changed the way you treat royalty," he shook his head and hushed the crowd.

Nakuru grinned, "I apologize," she grabbed the side of her skirt and curtsied.

The king smirked, "I assume you wish to join our army in the war."

"You bet!" Nakuru laughed.

Once again the crowd began to whisper. "I really have to send you to charm school," he mumbled, "Yes well you must wait, for we are trying to negotiate with the Li Kingdom. You will be informed of what shall happen in a month's time."

"Sissy," Nakuru growled.

The guards circled around her and placed the tips of their spears at her neck. Nakuru wrapped her hand on her sword's handle, "King Adrien, it would be appreciated if you order your buffoons to back off, or else I shall slice them all up."

"The odds are against you Nakuru, there are nine of my men, and only one of you," king Adrien chuckled, "But do not worry, they won't hurt you. They're just there to keep you from doing something reckless."

Nakuru drew her sword and spun around quickly and you could hear the sound of the metal spears clashing with the sword. She stopped spinning and grinned as half of each spear fell to the ground, "You forget my king, I was your best warrior, and even if I serve the Kinomoto Kingdom now, I am still willing to fight for you and Chikara."

Adrien stood from his throne and approached her and ran his fingers through her hair. "Princess Tomoyo, follow my maids to your chambers. There, they will provide you with new clothes," king Adrien instructed, not taking his eyes off of the strand of hair in his hand.

Tomoyo followed the maids out of the room, and as she the doors closed, she overheard king Adrien say, "You changed your hair's colour."

**ChiChi's note: Okay I'm trying really hard to write French accents so just remember whenever there's and apostrophe - ' - in front of a word, that means that it's replacing the Hs.**


	3. Diary

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Meh. Rolls eyes. (I am somewhat annoyed today.) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chappie!**

Chapter 3

Diary

Tomoyo stared at herself in the mirror, "No way."

"But yourrr majesty, zeese eez 'ow zee nobles drrress in Chikara," the maid explained.

Tomoyo sighed and looked once more at the dress. It was indeed how the people in Chikara dressed. It was obviously a white dress with kimono sleeves and a skirt going down to just above her knees and overtop of the skirt was fishnet draping down to the ground. In her kingdom, no one wore clothes that showed their legs.

"Yourrr grrrace, I 'ave yourrr battle outfeet, eef we do," the maid held up a cloak and pants, which were yet again white.

Tomoyo was even more shocked. Pants? She had never worn pants before. Tomoyo accepted the clothes and laid them on her bed. "I might as well start training," Tomoyo groaned.

"I shall brrring you to lady Nakurrru's chamberrrs," the maid signalled for Tomoyo to follow her.

They walked down the hall to Nakuru's chamber. When they entered, Tomoyo saw Nakuru staring at her mirror, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "I shall leave you now," the maid curtsied and left.

Nakuru looked over at her, "Tomoyo."

"Can you start to train me now?" Tomoyo asked eagerly.

Nakuru grabbed her hairbrush and hopped onto her bed. "Okay, let me explain how we fight here," she patted the other side of her bed, implying for Tomoyo to sit, "Here they use magic to enhance their items."

"All of them?" Tomoyo took a seat at the foot of Nakuru's bed.

"Everything made in this kingdom, take this hairbrush for example."

Nakuru ran the brush through her hair, and it turned blonde. Tomoyo gasped. "I was naturally from Chikara, but now," she ran the brush through her hair once more, and it turned back to the sable-red colour that it used to be, "I am from the Kinomoto Kingdom. And in our kingdom, we do not use magical weapons, so if you want to train with me, you're taking the entertaining approach."

Nakuru got off of her bed and picked up a sword leaning on her windowsill. She tossed it on the bed, "Get ready for the funnest time of your life!"

…After two weeks…

King Adrien looked out into the garden and saw Nakuru and Tomoyo sword fighting. Nakuru was still better, but Tomoyo had improved greatly. For one who knew nothing of swords, she was an impressive student. He could hear them speaking, but their words were softened by the glass. He turned to leave, but something caught his eye. There was an element orb on Tomoyo's wrist. Immediately, he thought of king Syaoran. Him and his advisor were coming to meet him in two weeks. Maybe if he showed the princess to them, they'd lead him to Odelette, but if Tomoyo stayed, then she might be able to activate the orb. Either way, he could get his sister-in-law back.

…In the garden…

Tomoyo fought without any thought whatsoever. She was too busy wondering how to activate her bracelet. 'Golden sun… golden sun. What did you mean Touya?' "Tomoyo!" Nakuru screamed.

Tomoyo snapped out of her trance. Nakuru and Tomoyo's blades were crossed, "What's wrong 'Moyo?"

"Moyo?" Tomoyo repeated disapprovingly, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just trying to figure out how to activate my bracelet. Touya said that the golden sun will activate it, but I don't understand it."

Nakuru withdrew her sword, "No clue!"

…Two weeks later in the Li Kingdom…

Sakura glared at the boy standing in front of her, "You really did kill her."

The blue-eyed boy looked at her with a curiosity, "Who?"

"Tomoyo," Sakura looked down, "She would have already come for me by now if she were alive."

"I did say that she was dead," Eriol stated.

Sakura began to cry, "Why did you have to kill her? She was my best friend."

Eriol reached in his pocket and pulled out an old key. He unlocked her cage and let her out. Eriol went out of the room and Sakura followed him. They walked down many halls until they came to the middle of a staircase. At the top was unmistakably Syaoran's throne room, and at the bottom was the castle's exit. The doors were open and they began to slowly close. "Why are we here?" Sakura demanded.

"Because I believe that you are hiding something about princess Tomoyo," Eriol crossed his arms over his chest.

"There's nothing to say!" Sakura shouted, "Stop reminding me of what I've lost!"

"Let's see… King Fujitaka, prince Touya, princess Tomoyo, the servants, the knights, the villagers, the entire kingdom," he listed at a rapid speed, "The list goes on and on my dear princess, and-"

"Silence!" Sakura ordered.

"You forget that you are now under this kingdom's control," Eriol smirked.

Sakura looked over at the doors they were still open. She ran down the stairs and reached the doors but she felt someone take hold of her hair. "You let her out?" Syaoran scowled at Eriol.

Eriol shrugged and bowed, "I shall await you in the carriage."

Syaoran rolled his eyes then glared at Sakura, "What did you think you were doing?"

Sakura looked up at him and remained silent. She had not seen him ever since he had kidnapped her. His eyes were even more unfeeling than before and his glare could even scare demons. "Answer me wench," he pulled at her hair.

Sakura whimpered and brought her hand up to pry his hand off of her hair. She grabbed his hand and found it to be colder than ice. "You're freezing! Are you ill?" Sakura gasped, "Do you not have a medicine man in your kingdom?"

Syaoran released her hair and just stared at her. He was really confused, 'Why is she worrying about me?' He felt her warm hands touch his, and it was as though the blood inside of him was melting. "Is that better?" Sakura asked.

He looked down at their hands. It was, but he was not going to admit it, "They were fine before."

Sakura frowned, "I was just trying to help. You could get sick!"

A guard ran up to them, "Your highness, Lord Hiiragizawa has ordered me to tell you that we must depart immediately," the guard looked down at their hands and his eyes widened, "Oh, my apologies your majesty. I did not know that I was disturbing you."

Syaoran looked down at his hands and pulled them away from hers, "I told you, I'm fine!" he snapped.

He glared at the guard, and smirked when he flinched. "Don't behead me," he pleaded.

Syaoran drew his sword and swung it at his soldier's head, but the blade halted, inches away from his neck. Syaoran looked down at the girl holding his arm in place, "How could you treat your own men like this? Let him live you impudent fool!"

Syaoran lowered his sword, and the guard's jaw dropped to the floor, "Thank you princess, I am ever so grateful to-"

The guard's head dropped to the ground, and Sakura screamed, "How could you?"

Syaoran growled, "I have no time to put you back in your cage."

He looked around the room and dragged her over to a wooden door and shoved her in there. It was pitch-black in the room. She heard him walk to the other side of the room and he opened the large curtains to show a gigantic window overlooking the entire kingdom. She observed her surrounding and noticed that she was in the library. "You may stay in here until I get back," Syaoran said in a calm voice.

He walked down to the door. "Where are you going," Sakura enquired.

Li placed a key in the door's lock, "I'm going to Chikara. I am declaring war upon their country."

…Chikara Kingdom…

Tomoyo ran a cloth over her blade. She had never tried to polish anything in her life. As a matter of fact, she never worked a day in her life, but she found labour to be exhilarating. She looked up from the sword and watched Nakuru ran around her room frantically, "Tomoyo, we must hasten."

"Why?" Tomoyo place her sword back into its sheath.

"Because the people from the Li Kingdom are coming here. They'll get suspicious if they see people with different coloured hair. Nakuru grabbed her hairbrush and changed her hair colour to blonde, "Come here."

Tomoyo got up and made her way to Nakuru. Nakuru ran the brush through Tomoyo's hair, but it didn't change colours. "Impossible," Nakuru stared at the brush, "The magic does not work on you."

"My mother placed a spell on me before she died," Tomoyo looked down, "White magic does not work on me, unless the magic belongs to a loved one."

Nakuru placed her hand over her heart, "You don't love me 'Moyo?"

"Of course not," Tomoyo said sarcastically.

Tomoyo took out a white cloth and placed it over her hair, "I'm going into the village."

"Okay, but be careful. The Li Kingdom's not far away, they're most likely half way here by now."

"Thanks."

…Li Kingdom…

Sakura stood on the ladder trying to find the book Meilin spoke of. She ran her finger over the books. She stopped her hand at two specific books. "_Chikara: Kingdom of Paradise_," Sakura read, then she turned to the other book, "_Li Kingdom: Empire of Dominance_"

She pulled it out and tossed the book onto a table down below. She kept pulling out books about the Li Kingdom and the Chikara Kingdom. By noon there was at least 30 books on the table, and Sakura began to read.

…Chikara Village…

Tomoyo stood in a store that sold spices. The aroma was wonderful. "Yourrr grrrace, zee king Syaorrran eez 'ere!" the shopkeeper announced.

Tomoyo stepped out into the road and watched the parade of guards go by. She stood by a group of teenage girls. During the month that Tomoyo had stayed in Chikara, she had picked up some French. The girls were chattering about how attractive the guards were. The carriage was at the end of the line of soldiers, and beside the carriage rode Eriol. The girls all gave a sigh at the sight of him, "Yourrr grrrace, eez 'e not zee most gorrrgeous boy zat you 'ave everrr seen?" one of the girls asked.

Tomoyo remained silent as he passed by. He looked down at the crowds, but Tomoyo caught his eye. His steed stopped, and he looked down at her, "You, remove your shawl."

"I weesh not to rrremove eet, Lorrrd 'iirrragizawa," Tomoyo said with a perfect accent, "Zee sun will burrrn my 'air."

"Yes, you're right," Eriol nodded, "You must not be her, she has no accent."

Tomoyo nodded and ran away from the crowd.

…In the castle…

King Adrien sat down on his throne awaiting king Syaoran's arrival. Nakuru kneeled at the right side of his throne. "Adrien, what if he declares war on Chikara?"

"Then we fight," Adrien tensed up, "What could defeat Chikara's army?"

"Do not forget, he is collecting the element orbs and their possessors. They assumed that the Kinomoto Kingdom only had one element orb, but Tomoyo had one too."

"It is almost certainly imitation."

"That is the water orb, she is the true owner, and she has the clue to activate it."

"What is it?"

The guard came into the room, and announced something in French. "It's the golden sun," Nakuru whispered.

Syaoran and Eriol entered the room. "Welcome, king Syaoran and lord Eriol," Adrien greeted.

…Li Kingdom…

Sakura browsed through the books and found all kinds of information. Chikara was the largest kingdom throughout Japan. Everything in their kingdom was enhanced by white magic, meaning that their army was stronger than any other. On the other hand, the Li Kingdom destroyed the most lands in Japan, including hers. She grabbed a random book and began to read. The book was the diary of a man. It was unknown to who it belonged to, but it was really useful.

_December 29_

_I am the most powerful man in this land, but I have foreseen that I am to die very soon. I must transfer my powers somehow, but I know not who to give these powers to. I possess the four elemental powers: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. These powers shall be given to four guardians, and I shall leave clues for these protectors. Once I write down these clues, and they receive my powers, their lives will be changed to match their obligations._

_I shall make my choice soon, but for now I shall enjoy life, travel, and eat the fruits of nature._

Sakura flipped through the pages, and continued.

_January 05_

_I have found a demolished land. I met a queen there who was dieing on a road. Beside her was her daughter, begging her not to leave. I suspect that the Li Kingdom has destroyed this territory. I approached these two females of high status and checked the mother. She had been stabbed in the stomach and was gasping for air. She asked me to take care of her daughter and bring her to the nearest kingdom. The question that lingers in my mind is, why would she entrust me, a traveling sorcerer, with her darling daughter? It was questionable in its simplicity. I rode off to the Kinomoto Kingdom with the princess of the former Daidouji Kingdom._

Sakura read the last sentence again, Daidouji and Kinomoto. Tomoyo's kingdom had been destroyed. She had never spoken about the Daidouji Kingdom, or her mother. Sakura shook her head and read the next entry.

_January 06_

_The closest kingdom is one more day away. I find it strange how the Daidouji Kingdom was so isolated from the rest of Japan. The young princess told me that her family lives in the Kinomoto Kingdom, and that she'll be just fine when she sees them. The girl is very strong, but I wonder if the tragedy that struck her kingdom had damaged her psychologically. I think that I've found my first protector. This princess of the Daidouji Kingdom will possess the power of the waters. I shall give the clue now: Unlock the waves within the golden sun. I have extracted my waterpowers and I have locked it into a bead, or orb. I hung it from a chain and placed it in my pocket. I shall give this bracelet to her family, and when she's old enough, she shall receive this treasure._

'Well, at least she's with her mother now,' Sakura thought.

_January 07_

_I have met this young girl's family and I find them to be rather enjoyable. If only I could have given my son this type of family. His heart is now locked, but he is still a boy who values his morals and manners. But back to the subject at the present. I have also met prince Touya. He has an adorable sister named Sakura. The Kinomoto Kingdom is the safest place that I've ever seen, so I shall keep one more orb in this kingdom. I did not trust the Daidouji princess' father-like figure, so I decided to go to prince Touya and I handed over the Daidouji princess' bracelet, and the earth orb, for princess Sakura. I made sure that prince Touya would present these two girls with this magic in good time. I have only given him one of the clues, but I leave this clue in my book: Melt the spirit of your enemy._

"My enemy?" Sakura pondered for a while, "King… Syaoran?"

…Chikara…

It was now late night and Tomoyo stood outside of the throne room, watching through the small opening of the doors. "Well, if war is your decision, then let it be," king Adrien stood from his throne, "You may stay here overnight. Nakuru, will you please show our guests to their chambers?"

Tomoyo hid behind a statue and watched them leave the throne room and head to their chambers. She waited a bit longer and went to her chambers. She removed the shawl and neatly folded it. She looked down the hall and saw Eriol entering his room. He turned his head, "Princess Tomoyo."

She walked up to him, "Lord Hiiragizawa."

He opened his door and invited her in. She hesitantly accepted his offer. When Tomoyo entered, the first thing she noticed was the ceiling. It was made entirely out of glass and it showed the stars. Eriol sat on his bed, "Sakura constantly speaks about you. She wonders if you're dead or alive."

"Is she okay? Tomoyo asked still dazed by the starlit sky.

"She's safe in the Li Kingdom."

Tomoyo supported her neck with her hand for a great pain was beginning. She looked down and saw Eriol lying down, "You may lie down too, if you wish."

Tomoyo was unsure how to respond to that. "I will not try to sleep with you if that is what you are worried about," Eriol chuckled.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. She lay down beside him and watched the stars. In reality, lying down next to his was just a small price to pay for looking up at such magnificence. But she was still tired from training earlier that day, and her eyes gradually closed.

**ChiChi's Note: Um… yeah. Tell me if you need clearer instructions on how to read the French accents. Review!**


	4. The Prewar

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: I'm happy today! No school muhahaha - I hope you like this chappie, and I don't care if you don't like it! (I sound so carefree huh?) Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

The Pre-war

Tomoyo opened her eyes and felt his arm around her waist. She turned over and saw him sleeping peacefully. She removed his glasses and pushed the hair out of his eyes. She placed his glasses on the pillow beside him and got off the bed. She was surprised that he didn't touch her after she fell asleep. Just as she was about to leave, Tomoyo notice a glint of gold hanging from his neck. She got down on her knees and examined the necklace. "What is that?" Tomoyo asked herself.

Eriol turned over. Tomoyo rolled her eyes and left the room.

…Li Kingdom…

Sakura woke up on the library's table. She had finished reading the diary, but she couldn't activate her bracelet until Syaoran returned. It was late afternoon, and she must have stayed up until early morning reading. The man who wrote that diary spoke of his son, but he never mentioned a name. She had also learnt much about Odelette and Meilin. Odelette had started to train when she was seven and right now she was at least 15 years old. She found it amazing that a girl so young could become a head arms woman. Sakura was nine when the diary was written and she received her orb when she was ten. Meilin was the same age as her, and was a performer in king Syaoran's court. The book spoke of someone named queen Yelan. Meilin was queen Yelan's favourite performer, and she performed every night.

Sakura looked out of the window and saw Syaoran's carriage approaching the village. 'That was fast,' Sakura thought. She heard voices coming from outside, "Quick! We have to find those element orbs before the king returns."

"Just take the orbs. Kill the little girlies," another voice ordered.

Sakura gulped then the door broke down. A man that resembled a rat, and a woman that looked like a pigeon barged in. "Is she not beautiful Etana?" the man asked.

"Look! She has the earth orb Dima," the Etana laughed.

They came closer to Sakura, forcing her to back into a bookshelf. "Hand it over missy and we promise to make your death as painless as possible," Dima chortled.

Sakura shook her head, "There's no way that you are getting this orb."

"Fine then we'll kill you," Etana retorted.

"You wouldn't want to do that," Sakura started to gain confidence in herself, "Because you need me to activate the orb, and if king Syaoran ever found out the you took the element orb, then he would cut your heads off before you could even take a step out of this palace."

"You speak highly of him. Is he your master?" Etana enquired.

Sakura did not respond. Syaoran technically was her master now, and that gave her an idea for activating her bracelet. "I think you are just filled with lies. King Syaoran is only a kid. He has no ability to defeat grown people like us," Dima sneered.

Etana pressed a dagger to Sakura's wrist, "Don't move or I slice your hand right off."

Dima worked on unhooking the bracelet, "Isn't Syaoran the kid of that stupid queen that our mob killed?"

Sakura looked straight ahead and saw Syaoran at the door. "Shut it and get the orb. Don't you know how to remove jewlery?" Etana shouted.

Syaoran drew his sword and targeted the two felons. Sakura was surprised at the fact that she was relieved that he was here. Dima pulled at the bracelet and the chain scratched her. Sakura yanked her arm away from Dima and Etana place a cut across her palm. Sakura let out a cry of pain, and Etana and Dima began to laugh. Their laughs were annoying, like crows, but the laughing stopped for one of them. They both stared dumbfounded by the blade through Etana's stomach. "Hey Etana… Did you know you're bleeding?" Dima asked.

"Idiot," Syaoran mumbled and stabbed him as well.

Sakura blocked the images of their bodies by looking at her hand. The wound stung immensely and blood rushed out of it. Syaoran took out a handkerchief and tied it over the wound. "Thank you," Sakura murmured.

Syaoran simply frowned in response and brought her out of the library. "How do you expect to defeat Chikara? They have the strongest army in the land," Sakura started conversation.

"Yes, but I have three of the element orbs already, and there is a prophecy which states that when the Chikara and Li Kingdoms go to war, all the elements shall be unleashed. I have three of the strongest powers; they have an army filled with pitiful white magic. Do the math," Syaoran explained.

Sakura stopped, "Why must you go to war?"

Syaoran did not respond and let go of her arm. The expression on his face was filled with pain, and she could see that he wanted to let it all out, but he kept it locked inside of him. This was her chance, if she could encourage him or make him a bit happier, she would be able to soften his heart, and activate her bracelet soon. "I'll try my best to activate my orb for _you_," Sakura curtsied, "And I will not leave your side until I do…_ master_."

She looked up at him with a smile. He was completely stunned by her actions. Sakura felt a strange power surrounding her wrist; the bracelet was pulsing. She would just worm her way into his heart.

…Chikara…

Nakuru and Tomoyo were training, once again, in the garden. "So tell me, why did you leave Chikara?" Tomoyo asked.

"Well, Adrien's wife got angry because I was training her sister relentlessly, and she also thought that I was having an affair with Adrien," Nakuru panted, getting tired from training, "Well I wasn't having an affair with him. I was his head arms woman before he married that stupid lady, but then she said that her sister would make an excellent warrior to replace me. Well one day, I met Yukito while the Kinomoto Kingdom was signing a peace treaty, and I left Chikara with him."

"I have not met the queen yet," Tomoyo remarked.

"That's because she's dead," Nakuru shook her head, "When I left, Odelette (her sister), became head arms woman and got kidnapped during an attack on Chikara. Some assassins killed the queen and that's the story. What happened to your kingdom?"

The question caught Tomoyo off guard. She stumbled and almost got cut by Nakuru's sword. "My kingdom was destroyed a long time ago by the Li Kingdom, but it stands somewhere else, and it ceases to be a kingdom until I return as their queen," Tomoyo felt anger burning inside of her, "The Li Kingdom destroyed both of my homes," she swung her sword harder and harder, "They killed my mother."

Nakuru began to fall under her blade, "Tomoyo?"

Her anger bursted out into flames, "And they took Sakura."

"Tomoyo!"

"And the worst part is, that I'm in love with the kingdom's advisor!"

A flash of light came from her bracelet and Tomoyo fell unconscious. "Tomoyo!" Nakuru screamed.

That was the strength kept inside of Tomoyo, just thinking about all the bad things that happened to her. But why did she faint? Was this advisor the one person who could bring her down?

…Li Kingdom…

Syaoran tried with all of his might not to think about the little birdie locked up in the birdcage, but she remained in his mind. _And I will not leave your side until I do…master._ That girl completely loathed him, but she called him her master. Syaoran frowned.

Eriol entered the room with a similar frown on his face. "Next time, would you mind taking those whom you've slaughtered out of the library? It reeks in there," Eriol calmly commented.

Syaoran smiled, which was rather rare for him. Eriol was baffled by Syaoran's actions today, "Did I miss something?"

Syaoran returned to his regular glowering, "Did you figure out who the fourth girl is?"

"No, I've been rather distracted lately," Eriol sighed.

Syaoran chuckled; "By the way," he snapped his fingers and a soldier brought a long white fabric to him, "One of our guards found a piece of clothing while emptying your chambers in Chikara."

Syaoran bunch it up into a ball and threw it at Eriol, "No more sleeping with the enemy."

…Chikara…

Tomoyo felt a cool breeze softly blow on her cheek. She felt a throbbing pain in her wrist. Her eyes opened and saw that her bracelet had burnt her skin, but it wasn't a fresh burn. It had healed a bit. Tomoyo felt a difference inside of her. It felt like the warrior within had been unleashed. She got off of her bed and went to the throne room. Inside were king Adrien and Nakuru. "What's going on?" Tomoyo questioned.

The two of them glanced at her. "TOMOYO!" Nakuru gave her a hug, "I thought you'd never awaken! You were asleep for two weeks!"

"We're preparing for what we call a pre-war," king Adrien smiled, "You should prepare as well. I saw you fighting just before you fainted… You're just as good as Nakuru."

Tomoyo managed to escape Nakuru's grasp, "What is pre-war?"

"We go out to war and attack their village without warning," Nakuru sighed, "It's rather disheartening."

Tomoyo thought about it for a couple of minutes, "It's iniquitous. I refuse to go."

"Fine, then I'll find someone else to dispose of that thick Hiiragizawa. You do know that he was the one who led the attack on the Kinomoto Kingdom," Adrien added.

"WHAT!" Tomoyo yelled.

Tomoyo stormed out of the room. "Your persuasiveness is impressive," Nakuru stood in awe.

…Li Kingdom…

Sakura tried loosening the shackle around her neck, but it was no use. "I hate this place," Sakura and Meilin said in unison.

"I figured out how to activate my orb," Sakura smiled.

"I know 'ow to also, but iteez impossible to do eet!" Odelette frowned, "Eef only I 'ad my sworrrd."

"I have no idea how to activate mine," Meilin frowned, "If only I weren't stuck in this ridiculous-"

They all went silent. Syaoran entered the room and looked at all three of them. "King Syaoran," all three of the bowed their heads.

He unlocked their shackles, but only let Sakura out of the cage. He brought her to the roof of the castle where they were completely alone. "Who is Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked.

"She was my cousin and the other princess of my kingdom, master," Sakura decided to use that word every chance that she got, "Lord Hiiragizawa saw to it that she was slaughtered."

"Her name sounds so familiar, yet I cannot remember who she is," Syaoran stared out across his land.

It was time for Sakura to ask the questions, "Who is queen Yelan? I read about her in books about the Li Kingdom."

Syaoran raised his hand to strike her. "Who is she master?" Sakura asked again.

He lowered his hand, "You remember those two maggots that tried to steal your orb?" Sakura nodded her head, "They were actually from the outskirts of Chikara."

"But they weren't speaking with a French accent, nor did they have blonde hair or wear white clothes."

"They disguised themselves to look like ordinary thieves. Those two were ordered by king Adrien to find the element orbs, but they did not know that they were supposed to keep you alive."

"What does this have to do with queen Yelan?"

"Queen Yelan was my mother. One day I playing hide-and-seek with her, and while I was hiding, a bunch of people from Chikara including them, barged in and made her die a slow and painful death."

"What do you mean?"

"It's the most sickening way to die. They start by cutting off your fingers, then your hands, then your arms, and everything keeps getting cut off until your completely diced."

Sakura gasped. She thought that it was terrible not to see your parents die, but to watch every horrid moment of their death was just as bad. "And that is why I must go to war with Chikara."

…Chikara…

Tomoyo stood among the many soldiers of Chikara. They were all dressed in cloaks like her. She mounted her white horse and took her place beside Nakuru. "You have your sword?" Nakuru asked.

Tomoyo nodded.

"Element orb?" she continued.

Tomoyo nodded.

Nakuru smiled, "Are you nervous?"

Tomoyo placed her hood over her head, "Not a chance."

**ChiChi's Note: Personally, I don't really like this chapter, but that's okay cause my next one will hopefully be better! Review!**


	5. Water Orb Activated

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Sorry it took so long! I just got a new computer and I had to transfer all of my fanfics into it! So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!(Or destroy, however you want it) **

Chapter 5 

Water Orb Activated

'1… 2… 3… 4… 5…' Tomoyo counted how many villagers she had killed. Doing this actually hurt her. The army was using an invisibility shield. It made them transparent and it made it easier to kill without being noticed. The barrier was weakened because she was anti-magical, but they still remained unseen. The villagers were screaming as their friends all mysteriously dropped dead. '16… 17… 18…' Tomoyo felt tears falling from her eyes, 'This is exactly what they did to my kingdom.' No one noticed her crying, for her hood hid her entire face. "Moyo!" Nakuru shouted and pointed forwards.

There stood Eriol with an army behind him. He took a step closer and grabbed his necklace. Slowly, it transformed into a magician's staff. The staff was gold and at the top was a sun with beautifully designed rays. "Golden sun," Tomoyo murmured.

Eriol raised his staff and a burst of energy hit the barrier. They could see the barrier slowly cracking and the energy seeped in and blew everyone off of their horses. Tomoyo hit the ground, but got up instantly. The two armies charged and collided. Tomoyo looked up at the castle and saw her cousin with king Syaoran. "Sakura!" Tomoyo screamed out her name.

Tomoyo ran through the crowd of combatants and got up to the open castle gate. She ran through it and got up to the large doors. Tomoyo stood on the platform before the doors and looked up at the top of the castle, "Sakura!"

…Castle roof…

Sakura looked down at the Chikarain soldier. "Most likely going to kill you," Syaoran glared and raised his hand.

Sakura tilted her head in confusion, but then she noticed ten Li soldiers with bows and arrows, preparing to shoot the Chikarain. The Chikarain removed her hood, and Syaoran brought his hand down. "Tomoyo!" Sakura screamed.

…On the ground…

Tomoyo looked behind her and saw ten arrows heading her way. She braced herself for impact. Then somebody ran in front of her and swiftly moved his sword across the grouping of arrows. The ten arrows fell to the ground in pieces. Tomoyo noticed that her savior was Eriol. He walked over to his staff and picked it off of the ground. He turned to her with a furious look on his face, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Tomoyo drew her sword and pointed it at him. Eriol's staff transformed back into a necklace, "You wouldn't stand a chance."

Tomoyo swung her sword, but Eriol blocked her attack with his. 'He destroyed my home,' she continued to strike. Eriol was going easy on her. He moved his sword to block all of her attacks, refusing to retaliate. "I don't want to hurt you, princess," Eriol advised her to stop.

But Tomoyo kept attacking. Eriol could see the flames burning in her eyes; she wasn't going to stop until her task was completed. Eriol cautiously swung his sword, making sure that he did not hurt her. She stumbled back as he continued his attack. They neared closer and closer to the edge of the palaces platform, until they were fighting precisely along the edge. Tomoyo became distract by what was down below. The fall would be long. There was a maze of trees down below and nothing would be there to catch her fall. Eriol hit her sword and it fell out of her hands and landed in his. This caught Tomoyo by surprise and made her lose balance. He rapidly placed his sword back into its cover then his hand grabbed hers, "Careful, any more violence and we'll both fall," he tried to keep his balance while pulling her up.

"You're men are going to kill me anyways," Tomoyo stared at the archers who stood but feet away from them, taking aim.

Eriol looked down at their hands, concentrating on bringing her up. That's when he saw the element orb, "You had it all this time."

Tomoyo saw the soldiers ready to fire; she began to panic. "Eriol! Why are you helping her?" Syaoran shouted from the top.

Eriol stared into her eyes; he knew the penalty for helping a foe. "Traitor!" Eriol heard Syaoran's voice shout.

Tomoyo gasped, the soldiers were going to shoot Eriol as well. Their only hope was to jump. She pulled him back and they both fell before the arrows could reach them. Tomoyo heard Sakura screaming her name. She held on tightly to Eriol, too afraid to let go. "Eriol, take out your staff," she demanded.

He gave her a questioning look. "Just do it!" she screamed.

His necklace transformed back into the staff. Tomoyo searched it for the activation point, but found none. "Where is it?" she shouted.

My mother placed a spell on me before she died. White magic does not work on me. Could it be that only white magic didn't work on her? "Eriol cast a spell on me!"

Without question, his staff sent out a swirl of fire that circled around them. Then she felt it. The glass surrounding the orb broke and a blue light entered her. She saw that they were very close to the ground now. She felt water stream from her hands and pour to the ground. Soon enough, there was a deep lake beneath them. Tomoyo held her breath and hoped for the best.

…In the palace…

"Syaoran, how could you?" Sakura followed him to the throne room, "She wasn't even Chikarain, and lord Hiiragizawa was your friend!"

Syaoran slapped her across the face; "You address me as your king, not by my first name."

Sakura touched where he hit her, "You're impossible. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to melt your heart!"

**ChiChi's Note: Yeah I changed it from spirit to heart... right... ON WITH THE STORY!**

Sakura gave him a final glare and stormed out of the room. She ran down the halls into the room with the birdcages in them. She found the door with red markings upon them and entered. Meilin and Odelette stared at her, "What did zee king want?" Odelette enquired.

"He wanted to know about Tomoyo," Sakura began to cry.

"Well, what happened?" Meilin demanded.

"While we were speaking, Chikara attacked the village. Tomoyo had come with the Chikarain army. Lord Hiiragizawa saved Tomoyo from death and king Syaoran… he… He killed lord Hiiragizawa and Tomoyo," she blurted out.

"Oh no, 'e killed zem?" Odelette gasped, "Lorrrd Hiirrragizawa was ourrr only 'ope forrr merrrcy frrrom king Syaorrran."

Meilin nodded, "Odelette's right. With lord Hiiragizawa gone, king Syaoran will surely become bloodthirsty."

"H-he told me that I don't have to stay in the cage anymore. He offered me my own room and everything," Sakura smiled at the two girls in the cages, "But I'm still going to stay with you guys."

"S-Sakurrra?" the young Chikarain started, "Do you know who led Chikarrra into zee prrre-warrr?"

Sakura recalled the brown haired warrior being the head arms woman. "She was one of the guards' wives in my kingdom," Sakura tried her best to remember. 'It was Na… Na. Grrr. I know that it's Yukito's wife!' "Nakara?"

"Nakurrru?" Odelette screamed.

…In the forest? Yes the forest, I think…

Tomoyo sat beside Eriol down by the water staring up into the sky. She could hear Nakuru ordering the Chikarain forces to retreat. Tomoyo looked over at Eriol. He had a furious look on his face, as if he wanted to kill someone. Tomoyo was now in her regular dress. It didn't get wet because her cloak protected it. On the other hand, Eriol was not protected from the water. His shirt was hanging from a tree, slowly drying. "So what were you doing with Chikara, princess?" Eriol asked.

"Tomoyo. Just call me Tomoyo," she frowned, "There's no kingdom, so I'm not a princess anymore."

"That's not my fault," Eriol said nonchalantly.

Tomoyo gave him an incredulous look; "You led your army into the Kinomoto Kingdom. There were barely any survivors."

"You don't look very upset about it," Eriol implied.

Tomoyo glared at him, "I've already undergone the same type of experience. That time, the Li Kingdom destroyed my true kingdom, and now, I shall avenge both of my kingdoms."

"So you're saying that you're not from the Kinomoto family?"

"I'm famished," Tomoyo stood up and pretended to search for food.

Eriol stood up as well, "You aren't, are you?"

Tomoyo pretended not to hear him, "Do you think there's any fruit trees around here?"

"Tell me who you are Tomoyo," he commanded.

She sighed in frustration, "My name is Tomoyo Daidouji, former princess of the Daidouji Kingdom, and future queen of the kingdom Rosuto Daidouji."

"Rosuto Daidouji?"

"Yes. My mother cast a spell on the kingdom so that everything would become invisible. Unfortunately, my mother accidentally sent the townspeople to another land. Now, the whole kingdom shall stay dormant until I return to become their queen."

She looked up at one tree and smiled, "Do you like apples Eriol?"

He nodded unconsciously and walked back over to the water. Tomoyo climbed the tree and picked a few apples. She tossed one at Eriol and took a bite from her own. She jumped out of the tree then joined him. "The sun is starting to set," Tomoyo leaned back and took another bite from her apple.

Eriol stood up and broke some branches off of a tree. He placed them sloppily into a pile then used his staff to set them on fire.

...Chikara...

"So... the Kinomoto girl died, did she?" king Adrien pondered for a while.

"Yes, and she took lord Hiiragizawa along with her," Nakuru sighed, "Did you know that he committed treason, just for her?"

Adrien laughed, "Well then, now that Hiiragizawa is out of the way, king Syaoran should have less power in his army."

"How could you be so uncaring? She died along with him you know," Nakuru frowned, "And now, the water element has become neutral."

"It was most likely fake," Adrien rolled his eyes, "The traveling conjurer said that he was only to give one orb per family. He couldn't have given two orbs to the Kinomoto family."

'But Tomoyo was not a Kinomoto,' Nakuru remembered.

...Li Kingdom...

Syaoran tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne. "Guards, go out and search for my advisor," he ordered, "I am positive that he is not dead. When you find that traitor, kill him and the wench."

"Yes sire," the guards bowed and left the room.

Sakura entered the room and curtsied before his throne, "You summoned me, _king_ Syaoran," her words dripped with hatred.

"Yes, where have you been?"

"With Meilin and Odelette."

"Who?"

"The other girls that you're letting rot in those terrible birdcages."

Syaoran shrugged and got off of his throne. He walked up to Sakura and circled around her. "Umm... Why are you-" Sakura started.

"You said earlier that you were trying to melt my heart," he stopped in front of her, "What did you mean by that?"

"It means that you're a coldhearted bastard," Sakura spat.

Syaoran smiled in amusement. Sakura felt heat coming from her bracelet. "No one has ever spoken to me like you do in my entire life."

"You always seem so angry. It scares people."

Syaoran came closer to Sakura and placed his hand on her cheek, "Will you melt my heart then?"

Sakura gulped, "U-ummm…"

Syaoran smirked and leaned in closer to her, "Will you?"

She felt his arms wrap around her waist, and she blushed furiously. "Melt my heart," he whispered in her ear.

…In the forest…

Tomoyo lay down on her stomach gazing into the deep water. The sun had already set, giving the water a mysterious feeling. She lightly dipped her finger into the lake and watched the ripples form. The water sparkled in response to her touch then the ripple made a heart in the water. "Are you cold?" Eriol sat down beside her.

Tomoyo shook her head. It was a nice night. "So when we get out of this forest, what are going to do?" Eriol enquired.

"The real war should be very soon right?" Eriol nodded, "Then I should probably look for Rosuto Daidouji. We could use them as reinforcements."

"I don't know. If I know Syaoran, he's probably still angry at me for saving you."

"Then why don't you come with me?"

Eriol pondered the offer for a while. This would definitely be treason if he helped gather reinforcements for the enemy, but then again, he could be fighting for the wrong side. Syaoran just announced war without reason, and Chikara did nothing to provoke it. "Okay," Eriol agreed.

"Someone's coming!" Tomoyo pointed at two lit torches wandering around the forest.

"Where are they, do you think they're dead?" a voice came from the distance.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. Once we find them, they'll be dead anyways."

The two voices laughed. "Maybe they won't recognize us in the dark," Tomoyo whispered.

Eriol looked down at her dress. It was noticeably white, of course they would, but there was no way of hiding her clothes. 'My clothes are wet anyways,' he shrugged. He jumped into the water and pulled Tomoyo in with him. "I heard something over there, wait," Eriol heard footsteps coming closer to them.

"Don't kill me for this," he faintly chuckled.

"For wha-" Tomoyo began but was cut off.

He was kissing her… again. She heard someone stop behind them. "Anything there?" a voice called from far away.

"Nope, just some kids, err, playing in the water," a voice from behind them replied then ran away.

Eriol was saving her. She understood now. Eriol pulled her into the water so her clothes wouldn't show and he kissed her so the guards wouldn't recognize them. Although he had a unique way of saving her, she was grateful. He pulled away once the coast was clear and laughed. "Aren't there other ways of saving me which don't include kissing?" Tomoyo swam to shore.

"Yes, but I prefer that method," Eriol followed her.

"I'm sure you do," Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

**ChiChi's Note:** **Oh yeah! If you guys have read White Rose before, and you didn't read my profile, I'm making a SEQUEL for it okay? Everybody happy? Alright! Also I'm going to um… to an undisclosed area, that's right, for a school thingy so I won't be updating any time soon. Sorry, ReVieW!**


	6. Breaching The Castle

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Meh. Enjoy**

Chapter 6

Breaching the Castle

Sakura's heart was beating madly. She stood alone in the throne room, 'What just happened.

_**Flashback**_

Syaoran's arms were around Sakura and he leaned in to kiss her, but he stopped. He stepped away from her and stared at the doors. "Stay here girl, and do no come out of this room," he walked to the doors, "That's an order."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I must attend to a certain matter," he opened the door and headed out. He stopped halfway, "One more thing girl-"

"Sakura," she interrupted.

Syaoran glared at her, and tossed her a key. "That is the key to the cages. If anyone comes in here, or if one of my men comes in here, go to the cage room, let the other girls out and flee the castle," he gave the directions and left.

_**End of Flashback**_

"What is going on?" she murmured.

…In the forest…

The sun rose and felt warm in her dry clothes, "Eriol?"

She looked up at him. He smiled at her, "Good morning pr… Tomoyo."

She got up, "Well I'm all ready to go."

Eriol looked up where the Li Kingdom was, "My father spoke of Rosuto Daidouji's whereabouts in his diary."

Tomoyo beamed, "Really? Where is it?"

"In the castle's library," Eriol sighed, "Are you still in the mood for a battle? With your waterpower, you're much stronger."

Tomoyo got up and grabbed her cloak and put it on, "Of course, shall we go now?"

"Yes, we shall, there's a path that goes up to the kingdom, but it might not help…" Eriol sighed, "It looks like rain."

…Li Kingdom…

Syaoran frowned, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU DIDN'T FIND THEM?"

Syaoran stormed off to the door. "I'm sorry your majesty, but all we found down there were two kids kissing," the soldier explained.

Syaoran stopped where he was, "Did you check their faces?"

"Err.. no," the soldier replied.

"Grrr, IDIOT!" Syaoran yelled, "Get ready for battle."

"Why must we prepare for battle?"

"Did you not see that Chikarain girl fighting Eriol? She has the water orb as well, and with Eriol, those two will definitely liberate the apocalypse."

...Cage Room…

Meilin sighed, "Shouldn't Sakura be back by now?"

"Yes, wherrre eez she?" Odelette asked the guard before them.

"Who? The princess?" he asked, "She's most likely in the throne room. There's a big fight that's supposedly going to happen."

…Later that day…

Eriol led the way to the Li Kingdom. They had stopped for rest in a cherry blossom orchard on high ground. It had begun to rain and their clothes had become wet, once again. The orchard overlooked king Syaoran's castle of evil. Tomoyo stood alone at the highest part of the orchard and watched the castle. She looked down at her wrist. The burn mark from before had gotten worse since her bracelet activated. Tomoyo closed her eyes and felt the many raindrops drip down her body. She heard the sound of footsteps behind her, "Yes?"

"There is no time to rest," the voice said.

'It's Eriol,' Tomoyo felt the urge to roll her eyes, but refused to open her eyes, "But Eriol, you were the one who advised us to stay here."

"Be prepared for battle," his voice whispered.

"You told me that we should sneak in," Tomoyo frowned, "Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?"

There was a silenced. Tomoyo didn't understand Eriol; how could one person be so annoying? "You will find your cousin and Rosuto Daidouji, but you _must _trust him."

"Er-Eriol?" Tomoyo's eyes opened.

Her hand moved to her sword and she spun around. She swung her sword, but it didn't hit anyone. No one was there. "Tomoyo! Are you ready to go?" Eriol's voice traveled from across the orchard. 'If he was over there; who was speaking to me?' she wondered.

…Li Kingdom…

'I can hear voices coming from outside,' Sakura pressed her ear against the door. "His Majesty is ready for the attack," one voice announced.

"Amazing! The king can sense danger before it happens!"

"I think he practices magic."

"Forget that! Do you think, if we leave our posts, that the girl will run out?"

"I don't know. Why does king Syaoran put so much trust in her?"

"Let's leave anyways. It's not like the king is going to survive this battle. He can't cut our heads off if he's dead."

Sakura was a bit surprised by the Li soldiers' remarks. She sat down in his throne and felt a rush of power going through her veins. It was so strong and made her dizzy. Her vision faded away, and then a dark figure rushed into the room shouting. "Girl, wake up! You must-"

The rest was a blur.

…Outside of the Li Kingdom…

Two people stood out in the rain facing opposite directions. Tomoyo leaned against her companion and drew her weapon, "They're coming."

Eriol drew his weapon as well. He felt her shiver with fear, making him smile. "It's going to be okay," he closed his eyes.

"I know…" she closed her eyes too.

They were both drenched and they heard the sound of horses coming closer. "You know the plan?" he asked.

"Yes…" she began, "Eriol? Did you see anyone talking to me in the orchard?"

"No, why?"

"I'm just asking."

"They're here."

The sound of many horses circling around them was all they could hear through the pitter-patter of the rain. "By order of the king, surrender," a voice ordered.

The two of the opened their eyes. "And what if we refuse?" Tomoyo enquired.

Eriol smirked, "It should be you, surrendering to us."

A confused look came upon the soldiers face. He looked to his comrades and gave a nod. Hundreds of swords were drawn from their sheaths. A horse was making its way through the many men. "Eriol," the voice from on top of the horse called, "I am rather disappointed in you."

Syaoran got off his horse and walked over to the two of them. "Hmmm, that girl told me that this Chikarain had the water orb," Syaoran scoffed, "I have no use for her."

"I am not Chikarain; I am the future queen of Rosuto Daidouji," Tomoyo mumbled.

Syaoran stared at her with a mystified look on his face, "She speaks nonsense, kill her."

"I will not die," she shouted, "I will take my place in my kingdom and I shall defeat you!"

She glanced over at five soldiers ahead of her, "I'm taking Sakura back as well."

All of a sudden her sword tore through the five soldiers' torsos. "Very well," Syaoran glared at her, "Lieutenant, I leave this task to you."

The man who spoke orders before nodded. "Running away from battle again, Syaoran?"

That definitely angered Syaoran. He drew his sword and started towards Eriol. "Now!" Tomoyo yelled.

They both raised their weapons to the sky and a huge pillar of water appeared. The water violently swirled around. The pillar broke down and washed away all of their enemies. Tomoyo noticed that she was not in the waves of water, but she was standing on top of them. She saw Eriol standing on the water as well, "I casted a floating spell on us."

"Isn't floating supposed to be white magic?" Tomoyo asked.

Eriol ran towards the castle, "Yeah, what's your point?"

"It's not supposed to work on me…" she muttered.

She followed him into the castle.

…Where Sakura is…

Sakura's eyes opened to a Li soldier. "Princess! Thank goodness!" he sighed with relief, "You must free the other prisoners!"

"Hurry! I'll go find her," a girl's voice came from outside of the doors.

"Please save yourself," the soldier pleaded.

Sakura nodded and ran out of the room. She quickly scanned the area to see if it was safe then went in the direction of the cage room. She saw two shadows on the wall ahead of her. "Go quickly. The water spell isn't going to last for very long," a familiar voice commanded.

"Don't tell me what to do!" another familiar voice shouted, "And if you must save me, don't kiss me."

The boy's voice let out a chuckle, "Okay. Let's meet back here when we're done. I'm going to the library."

Sakura looked to her left and saw the library door. She had to get out of there right away. She ran in the other direction. Although she was going to the castle's roof, it would hide her from the intruders. She got up to the roof and when she looked out, she gasped. Water flooded the Li Kingdom. Horses attempted to swim and the soldiers struggled to get onto their horse. Sakura noticed that the water level was lowering but the battlefield still looked like a disaster. 'Syaoran is somewhere out there,' Sakura stared out into the water, 'Wait! Why am I worrying about him? I'm just using him to get this stupid bracelet to work… Yes… That's why I care. Because I need him to activate my bracelet.' "There must be a way to get to the cage room without the intruders seeing me…" she told herself.

…Cage Room…

Tomoyo ran into the cage room. The room was very dark and only one torch lit the room. The light of the flames reflected off the bars of four birdcages. She could hear whispering coming from the cages. "S-Sakura?" Tomoyo stepped closer to the cages.

"You… You'rrre wearrring white! Arrre you frrrom Chikarrra?" the voice of a young girl asked.

"You could say that," Tomoyo shrugged, "Do you know where princess-"

The door flew open and a soldier marched in, "Intruder! Intruder in the cage room!"

Tomoyo flipped the guard onto his back and held her blade to his throat, "Tell me where princess Sakura is or suffer."

The guard trembled with fear. He tried to get up but Tomoyo pushed him back down onto the ground. "The pr-princess is in the th-th-throne room," the guard stuttered.

Tomoyo withdrew her sword and went to leave. "Wait! I know you," the guard stood up.

"Hm… Maybe you do," Tomoyo continued out the door.

"PRINCESS TOMOYO HAS ENTERED THE CASTLE! SEAL ALL ENTRANCES AND SEIZE HER!" the soldier's voice boomed.

Tomoyo whipped around and stared at the soldier with no expression on her face, "You test my temper, soldier."

"You have the water orb. It is simply orders that we must capture you."

"You shall remember this day," Tomoyo simply stated.

Tomoyo the swung her sword at his right arm. Blood began spilling out of his body, and so did many screams of agony. "Curse you! Damn you straight to hell!" the soldier yelled.

"Consider this mercy. It is better your arm, than your life," Tomoyo kicked him and his limp body rolled out of the room.

"Princess Tomoyo! You are the cousin of Sakura, are you not?" a different voice asked, "My name is Meilin and the girl in the other cage is Odelette!"

Tomoyo nodded and left the room. She went down to the throne room and saw Eriol standing at the place where said that they'd meet. "I take it that you didn't find her," Eriol walked down to the entrance, "I found the book."

Tomoyo went up the stairs and went into the throne room. Eriol followed her inside, "She was in here."

"How do you know?" Tomoyo asked.

"Because I saw a girl run out of this room," he replied.

Tomoyo shot him an evil glare. "Don't blame me, I thought that it was a maid!"

…Outside the throne room…

Sakura could hear two familiar voices coming from inside of the room. She peeked inside and saw a girl wearing a white dress but she didn't have blonde hair. She then remembered the bandits from the outskirts of Chikara. The intruders were definetly Chikarains. Sakura ran to the cage room and saw a soldier lying in a puddle of blood, screaming in pain. "What happened?" Sakura asked examining the man's wound.

"Run, before she does the same to you," the soldier said between each cry of hurt, "She's looking for you."

Sakura nodded and ran into the cage room. "Sakura!" Meilin exclaimed, "We saw her! We saw…"

"The Chikarain? I know, I did too," Sakura unlocked the cages, "Come on we have to get out of here."

They ran out of the palace and in search of another town in the Li Kingdom.

**ChiChi's Note: Okay, I'm gonna stop writing for a while now. Review.**


	7. Li Kingdom Refuge

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Okay! This story is off hold! It took me a while to get back into this, but I think I managed to pull it off. Okay Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Li Kingdom Refuge

Tomoyo and Eriol came to Chikara after their little battle. Nakuru was very happy to see them, but king Adrien seemed to feel differently. They were at the stables preparing to leave for Rosuto Daidouji. Eriol was trying to drag the horses out of their settlement.

_December 1rst _

_I went to see my wife, Teresse, in the Daidouji Kingdom. She is the queen's chambermaid. I find it quite humorous that the two of them got pregnant around the same time. I used my magic to see our child. I will not tell Teresse, but it's a boy! I cannot wait to be a father. I will teach my son all the magic that I know._

_This morning I met with the queen and king. They spoke of plans for a new kingdom. Rosuto Daidouji. I was intrigued by their plan. Only people with magic from the Daidouji lineage can open the portal to Rosuto Daidouji. The portal remains in the queen's tower, so only one who works in the palace would know where it is. Teresse is a Daidouji so she knows where it is. Daidouji magic is very fascinating. They dance to use their magic. I see people in graveyards dancing to contact their ancestors, and they keep dancing to keep them there as they speak. The magic must use a great amount of energy in order to keep the spirits there. I have a feeling that my son will be a great sorcerer. He's half Li so he will be strong, and he's half Daidouji so he will be able to control magic without tiring._

"That is the second entry I believe," Eriol stared at the page.

"You're half Daidouji," Tomoyo read, "That's odd, I don't remember seeing you."

Eriol flipped the pages to another entry, "Here."

_October 23 _

_It has been four years since my son has been brought to this world. I once again visited the Daidouji Kingdom to see my family and for business. I met with Sir Mizuki again and discussed our little arrangement. I told Eriol about it and he accepted it. We were to move to the Li kingdom until he becomes of age, he will marry Sir Mizuki's daughter, Kaho. Kaho and Eriol seem to admire each other so I see no dilemma, except for their age. There is a nine years difference between the two. This marriage is the only way for our families to live in peace with each other._

Tomoyo closed the book and glanced at Eriol, "You're betrothed?"

Eriol shook his head, "Not anymore. The entire Mizuki family died in the attack on the Daidouji Kingdom."

Tomoyo sighed, 'Why did the Li Kingdom decide to destroy the Daidouji Kingdom? What did they do to deserve it?' Eriol finally managed to pull the two horses out of the stable, "Ready to go?"

Tomoyo nodded and mounted the horse. It would be a very long journey to the ruins of the Daidouji Kingdom.

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

Odelette, Meilin, and Sakura walked into the small town. Everyone was giving Odelette the evil eye. "I think my appearrrance eez verrry upsetting to some of zee villagerrrs," Odelette sighed.

"Well I have no gold to fix it," Meilin shrugged, "Do you Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head, "I lent it all to Tomoyo."

Meilin scanned the crowd. She saw a group of musicians sitting by a fountain, "I suppose we could earn the money."

The three of them walked up to the musicians. "Good afternoon! Can you please play some fast music for me to dance to? I'll give you three fourths of the profit," Meilin asked them.

Sakura and Odelette gave Meilin a worried look. "Don't worry, it will be enough," Meilin pulled a fan out of a pouch in her dress and began to dance.

The fast rhythm of the music drew the attention of the crowd; Meilin's dancing attracted many men. Meilin swished her fan around gracefully then suddenly she lowered it and gave one violent swoosh towards the ground. A great gust of wind blew across the ground and slowly lifted her as she danced. Amazingly, she was dancing on thin air! "How did she do that?" Sakura asked Odelette.

"Oh, she uh, a voler zee fan frrrom a merrrshant frrrom 'er village," Odelette shrugged.

"Huh?" Sakura tried to figure out what Odelette just said, "She something the fan from a something from her village?"

"Voler! To take somesing frrrom someone," Odelette explained, "Et merrrshant, a perrrson who sells items."

"Oh, steal and merchant!" Sakura nodded, "Odelette, do you want me to teach you how to speak better English?"

Odelette pondered for a second. It would be nice if she did learn proper English, and she could do it quickly. Sakura's father always said that it was easier to learn things when you were young. "Okay," Odelette answered.

The music stopped and a loud applause followed. Meilin curtsied to the crowd while they threw large amounts of gold at her feet. No wonder Meilin was the queen's favourite dancer.

…Li Kingdom…

"Damn Eriol!" Syaoran shouted pulling on some dry clothes, "Mother, if I did not promise you that I wouldn't kill him; he would have been dead so long ago."

He grabbed his sword and attached it back around his waist. He left his chambers and went down the hall. He stopped halfway down the hall and turned to one of the pictures on the wall. It was of Eriol and Syaoran when they were young. He loathed Eriol for betraying him. How dare he help that Chikarain? One of his soldiers ran up to him and saluted, "Sir, we have located the three girls. They are in the refuge."

Syaoran nodded. The soldier waited patiently awaiting the next command. "I shall be coming with you," Syaoran nodded.

He saw a line of maids bringing many items such as portraits, books, and porcelain vases. "Which kingdom are these from?" Syaoran pointed at the unfamiliar items.

"They are from a town we raided in Chikara, sir," the soldier informed.

Syaoran stopped one of the maids carrying a vase. The maid looked at him, terrified. "May I borrow this for a second?" Syaoran gave her a polite smile.

"Um, er… Yes your grace!" she handed him the vase then curtsied.

Syaoran walked back to the soldier, "This is such an exquisite vase, do you agree?"

The soldier nodded unsurely. "It's probably a family heirloom of some sort. These Chikarains have excellent taste," Syaoran tapped the vase, "What is this kind of glass?"

"It is frosted glass. The rarest kind in Japan," the maid answered.

Syaoran nodded then threw the vase against the picture of him and Eriol. "You," he pointed at his soldier, "I shall be going to the refuge alone. I want you to find that girl who was with Hiiragizawa and I want you to bring her to me."

The soldier nodded, "Yessir!"

Syaoran turned to leave, "Oh yes, one more thing. Leave Hiiragizawa alive. It's the last thing the queen requested."

"I shall depart now then sir," the soldier marched down the hall.

Syaoran went down to the stables. The refuge was only a few minutes away.

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

Odelette abandoned her white clothes and changed into black noble clothes. Now they were staying in a pub that stayed by the sea. Odelette and Sakura walked out onto the beach and began practicing saying the letter H. "_H_ello Sakurrra, _h_ow are you?" Odelette practiced and Sakura would try not to laugh.

She always emphasized the H whenever she spoke. "Wherrre eez Meilin?

Sakura looked around the pub. She could have sworn that Meilin was with them a second ago.

…Somewhere in the Refuge…

Meilin stood before a bronze statue of queen Yelan. The plaque at her feet said, _May her kindness pass through her generations. _The statue showed a kind looking woman sitting on a chair with the young Syaoran resting his head on her knees. 'You're kindness did pass on to Syaoran, my queen. He's just showing it in the wrong way,' Meilin looked at the plaque again. There was a sphere-shaped recess in one of the letters. She took out her element orb and placed it into the recess. Meilin was disappointed, "Nothing," she muttered.

Suddenly, a flash of light exploded from the plaque. Slowly, Meilin's energy grew fainter until she finally passed out.

…Nearby…

Sakura and Odelette searched the refuge for Meilin, but there was no sign of her. There was a large crowd gathering. Sakura and Odelette tried to see what happened but the crowd was too thick. Sakura tried squeezing her way in but eventually got pushed out of the crowd knocking over a man who was slightly older than her. "I'm sorry sir, let me help you up," Sakura extended her hand to the man.

The man looked curiously at her hand, "That is a beautiful bracelet princess."

"H-how did you know that I was a princess?" Sakura withdrew her hand but it was too late.

The man grabbed Sakura's arm and quickly placed a dagger at her neck. "Now listen up princess," the man began, "You give us your bracelet or else you die."

"Us?" Sakura repeated searching for more people.

The man sniggered as 20 men marched up behind him with their swords drawn. Odelette saw what was going on and ran towards the group of men,shouting something out in French. Sakura did not understand what she said, but she was most likely protecting Sakura. The men stared at her for a second then all bowed their head, "Mademoiselle Odelette," they said in unison.

Odelette glared at the men, "What arrre you men doing?"

The man removed the blade from Sakura's neck, "Orders of king Adrien. Recover the element orbs from the Li Kingdom."

"Nonsense, King Adrien would neverrr orderrr such a thing!" Odelette shouted.

"We have orders to relieve the bracelets from the owners, kill the dancer and princess, then return you to Chikara where you will lead the armies to victory."

"Sir! The dancer has no bracelet!" another man ran up to him.

The men began to bicker in French, and with great impatience, Odelette grabbed one of the men's sword and began killing off every man in sight. Sakura's jaw dropped. Odelette fought with such amazing technique. Not even the Kinomoto soldiers fought like that. After killing ten men in seconds, the other men retreated behind their leader. "This is treason mademoiselle Odelette!" the leader shouted.

"It eez not trrreason. You arre nothing but Chikarain outsiderrrs," Odelette frowned.

"Chikarain outsiders or not, they are still filthy Chikarains," a voice spat.

The men began to quiver with fear as they saw king Syaoran walk out of the dark alley. Odelette saw Syaoran and kneeled before him. "Mademoiselle! You dare bow before this monster?" the leader demanded.

"He deserrrves ourrr respect," Odelette murmured.

Syaoran drew his sword, "Pray for your lives because if I even find one scratch on the girl your lives will be gone in an instant."

The leader refused to release Sakura, "Fine then, but we will be taking the orbs."

Syaoran glared at the leader and with one flick of the wrist, his head was removed. The men looked down at their fallen leader. "Do any of you worms share the same objectives as your so-called leader?" Syaoran demanded.

They all shook their heads and fled for their lives. Sakura sigh with relief and fell to the ground. She felt so scared and confused. Syaoran glared at the people from the crowd who were staring. "As you were," Syaoran commanded.

The people scurried back to their shops revealing Meilin lying unconsciously on the ground. Syaoran approached the unmoving body and looked up at the statue. "Look to the beginning," he spoke softly.

Sakura stared at Syaoran. She wanted to know what was going on in his head. Her bracelet began to emit heat once more; it was urging her to speak with him. 'But… he deserves to be alone…' Sakura told herself, '…just for now.'

They carried Meilin into the pub and brought her in a room on the higher floor. Sakura and Odelette stayed at her side. Syaoran told them that he refused to stay in a room with useless girls. "I think he eez just rrridiculous!" Odelette shrieked.

"One R," Sakura told her distractedly.

Odelette nodded, "Rrr… rr. Right!

Sakura smiled at Odelette and moved over to the window. She saw the beach and it was so tempting to run in the water. But it was nighttime and the waves could knock her unconscious. Her eyes looked down at a crowd of trees. The trees all bent awkwardly outwards. She remembered Touya telling her that if the trees bent outwards there would be a little spring inside. "Odelette, I'm going for a walk okay?" Sakura headed for the door.

"And what eef zee king comes?" she enquired.

"Tell him the truth," Sakura smiled.

…Ruins of the Kinomoto Kingdom…

Eriol and Tomoyo came to a halt at her old home. "This is the second one that I couldn't protect," tears were welling up in her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault," Eriol stated.

"I won't let Chikara fall," Tomoyo rode off, "It's almost like a third home to me."

"Do you even know why Syaoran decided to declare war upon them?" Eriol rode after her.

"Because they had an element orb?" Tomoyo guessed.

"No, it's because-"

"Well I'm sure that it wasn't a good reason. I mean our kingdom did nothing to the Li Kingdom and you attacked us. Supposedly, you kidnapped Chikara's head arms woman and killed the queen. There was this rumour that the arms woman was a young girl."

"Fine then," Eriol gave up, "Which ever side you choose, I'll fight along with you."

Tomoyo smiled, "Thank you."

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

Sakura walked through the crowd of trees and smiled at the small at the spring. She looked around for men who may be sneaking around and saw no one, but to be safe, she left her dress on and walked in the water. By the time she was hip deep in it, she heard someone's footsteps. She shrugged, 'As long as they do not bother me, I'm fine.' She dove into the water and closed her eyes. She wondered how long she could hold her breath for… Apparently very long. She rose to the surface and sighed. The water was perfect for swimming in. "Girl. You should not stay in there all night," a voice came from far away.

Sakura turned to the voice, "But you highness, the water is very relaxing. Come in, it's fun!"

"I do not take orders from mindless girls like you," Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"It is not an order your grace, it is a request," Sakura smiled.

"Well, I do not wish to heed your request girl."

"Sakura," she corrected.

"Girl," he argued.

"As you wish," Sakura giggled.

How long was she going to put this act up for? Why wouldn't her bracelet activate? Maybe there was a trick to activating it… but what was it? She swam up to Syaoran and removed his sword, throwing it on the ground. "What are you doing," he fumed.

"It wouldn't be fair if you got to miss such a fun experience," Sakura grabbed his ice-cold hands and pulled him into the water.

"I do not wish to have any of your 'fun experiences,'" Syaoran growled.

"Do you know how to swim?" Sakura asked.

"Yes."

"Then stop complaining. Forget about being a cold, ruthless king for once and just have fun!"

Syaoran opened his mouth to protest but Sakura was able to drag him under the water. She looked at him glaring at her then rose to the surface pulling him with her. "Have you ever tried smiling before?" she asked.

"I do smile," Syaoran snapped.

"No," she shook her head, "Not like mean smile, like when you're having fun um, killing people, I mean the normal smiling."

"Yeah right," Syaoran looked away from her.

Sakura pulled him underwater again. She was really having fun making him angry. Just seeing the annoyed look on her face made her want to laugh. She showed him a smile, and Syaoran could tell it was meant to insult him. She brought them deeper into the water and waited patiently for Syaoran to smile. She waited with a warm smile on her face to encourage him. He looked at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes. He wasn't glaring, nor was he smiling. She waited a little longer, holding him in the same spot. He removed one of his hands from hers and placed it on her cheek. Sakura closed her eyes. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel her bracelet burning up. She then felt his lips on hers. Everything had become perfect at that moment. Sakura remembered her own words, 'Just forget and have fun,' so she forgot every little reason why she hated him and let him kiss her. She felt very inexperienced while kissing him; she wondered if this was his first kiss as well. He licked her lips and she parted them for him. His tongue explored every region of her mouth. As soon as Syaoran was satisfied he pulled away from Sakura. She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.

**ChiChi's Note: My goodness, I can't believe it took me that long to write another chapter! I got Sakura to ahem, "teach" Odelette better English so that you guys can understand her more lol. Review!**


	8. A Pointless Dance

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: I'm in a really bad mood right now and feel like murdering someone. Unfortunately, I don't hate anyone so much as to kill them so why don't I just kill someone in one of my fanfics. I'm not gonna say which fanfic though. That would spoil the fun. Okay so on with the story. ENJOY**

Chapter 8? **CCN: Is that right?**

A Pointless Dance

Syaoran laid motionless on the ground watching the girl run around in the water. Once in awhile he'd hear her trying to muffle her coughs. Apparently, she didn't want him to know that she was getting sick. She turned to him with a radiant smile on her face, "Are we going back to the palace later Syaoran?"

Syaoran glared at Sakura, "Do not do that."

"Do what?"

"Speak to me as if you are royalty, don't forget… you are no longer a princess. You are just a prisoner."

She did not curtsy and apologize a million times like every other day; she just gave a slight cough then nodded her head, "As you wish."

Syaoran was growing frustrated with her. She did not act like a princess at all. He killed her family and destroyed her kingdom! Any other princess would try to kill him or never speak to him, but this girl didn't complain at all; she seemed to enjoy being in his presence. He was so caught up in thought that he did not seem to notice the coughing fit that she was having. "Girl, stop coughing," Syaoran ordered.

Sakura turned and tried to stop coughing but she was unsuccessful. Syaoran reluctantly got up from where he was lying and walked over to Sakura. "I hope this is not some kind of joke," he growled.

Suddenly, Sakura collapsed on the ground. Syaoran still thought that it was a joke. He kneeled down and turned her over. Sakura was in fact unconscious and she was burning up. He looked around; they weren't so far from the pub, maybe Odelette could take care of her. Sakura's head fell to the side and a pool of blood escaped from her mouth.

…Daidouji Kingdom…

The ruins of the once beautiful kingdom rested on the border of Japan near the ocean. The only thing that still remained intact was the palace. Tomoyo walked down to the palace ignoring the skeleton, graves, and overall debris. Eriol simply strolled through the entire thing. "What respect you have for my fallen kingdom," Tomoyo said sarcastically.

"My dear Tomoyo, if I had any respect; we would have never met," Eriol intentionally kicked the bones of one of the bodies out of his way.

She gave him a questioning look. Eriol smirked, "Syaoran would have me waiting on him hand in foot if I had respect for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to kill me."

"Very true," Tomoyo nodded, "He's know you since you were little; it's only normal for him to wish you dead at times. Then again, I've only met months ago and I wish you dead practically every second of the day."

"Is it because of the method that I use to save your life?" he sniggered.

"Of course, if you restrained yourself, maybe you would be somewhat tolerable," she rolled her eyes.

She then yelped when Eriol wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "Why? Do you find my attraction to you that appalling?" he enquired then placed a soft kiss upon her lips.

Once he pulled away he awaited her reaction with an amused look on his face. Unfortunately for him, her face was completely expressionless. Suddenly, he felt a great pain in between his legs. Tomoyo giggled at what she just did. Eriol collapsed onto the ground whimpering. She kneeled down beside him and gave him a sympathetic look, "Eriol, keep your lips off of mine in the future if you wish to keep the body parts from your lower body, if you know what I mean."

She smiled at him then made her way to the castle. "You better catch up, we have nine towers to check," Tomoyo added.

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

"How zee 'ell did you let zees happen?" Odelette shrieked.

"Watch your tongue when you speak to me you bloody Chikarain," Syaoran shouted.

She glared at him, "I should say zee same to you! If I ever get hold of a sword, you will be zee first one zat I kill."

Syaoran drew his sword and pointed it again, "Do you wish to repeat that?"

She stared at the sword then gasped, "Zat eez my sword you bastard!"

"I know, its quite light…" Syaoran paused, "You speak differently."

Odelette glared at him and turned to take care of Meilin. Across from Meilin's bed was Sakura's bed. She had come down with a sickness that would last a week. There was no good help in the refuge for their sicknesses so Syaoran sent for some carriages. They would arrive in the morning, but for now, he was stuck in a rat hole with three pathetic prisoners.

…Daidouji Kingdom…

Eriol finished descending the ninth tower, "None of them have any signs of Rosuto Daidouji."

"Oh dear, I forgot, you must do a spell to find the entrance, but it lasts a really long time. I guess I shouldn't have made you climb all those towers for me after all," Tomoyo faked a sympathetic look, "Serves you right. Never disrespect me or my kingdom."

She remembered seeing her mother casting a spell in this very tower. She had staff in her hands as she danced. Tomoyo just needed something long. 'Of course! My sword!' she reached over to her belt but her sword wasn't there. "You left it in one of the towers," Eriol smirked once he found out what she was doing.

"Let me borrow yours."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Call this revenge my dearest."

Tomoyo glared at him then got an idea. She collapsed to the ground weeping, "I'll never be able to see Sakura again! She might even be dead now!"

Eriol kneeled down beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. As soon as he did so, she flung herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry for a while. Once she knew he wasn't expecting anything, she uncomfortably slid her hand down to his waistline and searched for his sword. "Did you really think that I would be that stupid?" Eriol asked.

Tomoyo's eyes widened. She looked to the side and saw his sword leaning against the wall. "Oh no…" Tomoyo gasped.

Eriol took advantage of the situation and kissed her. Her face burned and she immediately kicked his leg. He pulled away and glared at here, but then smiled. Tomoyo shivered, 'That smile is dangerous.' Eriol grabbed his sword and held it out to her. She cautiously placed her hand on it. Their eyes met for a second; there was something in his eyes that made him seem very reliable. Maybe she could get along with him. "I'm tired, so I'll cast the spell tomorrow," Tomoyo gently pushed the sword away, "It's not like there is a reason to rush."

…Ruins of the Kinomoto Kingdom…

A soldier walked onto the grounds of the deserted territory. There where horse hoof prints on the ground. He continued to walk and found a shred of white material caught onto a piece of metal sticking out of a crumbled building. "They were here," he shouted out.

"Are you certain sir?" another soldier rode up to him on his horse.

"Yes, they were heading to the relics of that Daidouji Kingdom."

"That is where we're going?"

"Yes."

The soldier nodded then turned the other way, "Men! Onwards to the Daidouji Kingdom!"

Behind them a long trail of over a hundred soldiers rode off in the direction ordered.

…Daidouji Kingdom…

Tomoyo walked out on the sand that trailed into the ocean. She listened to the waves crashing onto the shore and watched the sunset. The wind softly blew her hair across her face as she watched. She raised her hand and waited. A stream of water escaped from the ocean and began to swirl around her. A giggle escaped her lips when the water lightly brushed across her face. The water was like an inspiration of some sort that Tomoyo didn't want to let go to waste. She closed her eyes and listened to water swirling around her. She hummed a melody while she listened. She soon felt her body dancing to the song but something else was happening. Some sort of energy was flowing from her. She opened her eyes to see that the sun had already set and the flow of water still remained around her. She gasped when she noticed that the waves in the ocean had disappeared. Was that her fault? She sent the water back into the ocean and lifted her hand slightly to make ripples in the water. "Tomoyo?" Eriol's voice came out of nowhere.

"Yes?" she turned to him.

"What are you doing all the way out here? I heard singing coming from out here."

Tomoyo smiled, "Yes, I was singing."

Eriol looked out into the ocean, "Were you using magic?"

"Yes, I was playing with the water."

"No, that wasn't it. I sensed white magic. Like in Chikara, but different."

He then walked to wear the waves broke and then took a step into the water. He took Tomoyo's hand and dragged her into the water. She shrieked when she felt how cold the water was. Eriol just smiled and pulled her in deeper. Once they were waist-deep in water, Eriol bowed and extended his hand to her, "May I have this dance?"

"But there is no music," Tomoyo took his hand even though.

"Then sing."

Tomoyo placed her other hand on his shoulder and began to sing. Eriol closed his eyes and listened to her singing. It was the most angelic thing that he had ever heard. Tomoyo leaned her head on his shoulder while they danced. She had danced before, but only with Touya because he was the only one who would want to dance with her. "Tomoyo," he whispered, "Look."

She looked down and saw them dancing overtop of the water. "Eriol, are you doing this?" she asked.

"No, it's all you."

She stared at the water then at Eriol. He was calmly watching her. This was the perfect time for him to kiss her and she wouldn't hurt him, Tomoyo thought. Eriol slowly leaned in getting closer and closer to her. Tomoyo closed her eyes and waited for him to kiss her; instead she felt nothing. "I knew the magic was coming from you," Eriol let go of her hand and gave a faint laugh, "I just had to test it.

Tomoyo opened her eyes, "Yeah…"

'So he was just testing me… how foolish of me to even think that he…' Tomoyo noticed that Eriol was giving her a concerned look. She quickly pasted on a smile and walked off the water. Eriol just didn't understand.

**ChiChi's Note: I don't like the ending to that….. Oh well, I'm not gonna change it. Review!**


	9. Rosuto Daidouji

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: I didn't feel like editing cuz it's like… 1 in the morning and I'm impatient. So here's another chapter. ENJOY!**

Chapter 9

Rosuto Daidouji

Sakura coughed lightly and opened her eyes weakly. The room that she was in was unfamiliar. She sat up and observed the room. The stonewalls were covered in paintings of children who looked like Hiiragizawa and Li and above the fireplace rested a painting of a woman. It was the same woman from the statue in the refuge. The room was warm and smelt sweet like… Sakura turned her head to the side and saw a vase filled with white peonies. 'Pretty,' she thought. She fidgeted a bit only to realize that she was in a bed. She dropped herself down onto the large mattress again. It had been ages since she slept in a decent bed. She let out a relieved sigh and snuggled into the green cashmere sheets. She wondered why she had never seen this room before. Syaoran let her go into any room that she pleased but she never saw this one. She stared around the room once again. In front of the fireplace was a chair with a pink and white dress on it. She crawled out of the bed and changed into the dress. She then went out the doors and onto the balcony. She leaned on the railing staring at the view. 'It's really early. The sun has barely begun to rise,' she trailed off in thought. She then heard movement coming from bellow her. She stared down and saw someone training. She became rather curious and left the room to go see who it was.

…Cage Room…

Odelette leaned against her cage's bars. She found it absolutely ridiculous as to how they were being treated. Meilin hadn't awakened and they stuffed her back in the cage. Odelette tried shouting out for help but no one acknowledge her shouts. "I swear, King Syaoran is going to pay for zeese," she hissed.

She looked over at the other cages, "I wonder where Sakura eez…"

…Outside…

Sakura quietly walked up to the person who was training. His back was turned but she knew that it was Syaoran. She wondered if he would be angered if he saw her there. She took a step back stepping on a dried leaf. Syaoran stopped and whipped around. He glared at her for a second then walked past her. She watched him walk away, but then he stopped and looked over at her, "Are you coming?"

Sakura nodded then joined him. Sakura kept her head down, playing with her braclet to occupy herself. "Did you activate it yet?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura shook her head, "No," her voice came out hoarse. She gasped and cleared her throat, "No sire."

"I wonder why," Syaoran stopped and sat down under a tree.

Sakura sat down beside him. She looked up and saw an apples growing on the tree.

**_Flashback_**

The twelve-year-old sat beneath the tree with her cousin listening to her brother tell stories. "… and they lived happily ever after. The end."

An apple landed in Sakura's lap. She looked up and saw Touya plucking apples from the tree. He tossed one down to Tomoyo and she lifted up both her hands and caught it. Sakura took a bite out of her apple. "Do you think we'll be together forever like the people in the story that you told Touya?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe," he said with his mouth full.

"Well I know that I'm not going to stay here long. Once I come of age, I'm going to get out of the palace and travel the land!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I'll go into the town and talk with the villagers, I'll go to the Li Kingdom maybe even some other kingdoms in the Northern lands, and best of all, I shall see the Daidouji Kingdom!"

"Daidouji Kingdom is a myth," Touya stated.

"No it isn't! One of the maids told me about it," Tomoyo shouted back at him.

"Wait, if you're leaving, then I'll be all alone!" Sakura remarked.

Tomoyo stopped to think for a moment, "I suppose I could stay a bit longer for you, and Touya will always be here with us, so I suppose we will be together for a very long time."

"Hurrah!" Touya rejoiced with sarcasm.

Sakura giggled then began to laugh. Soon after Tomoyo and Touya joined her. It was right there, that Sakura decided that she would never leave the Kinomoto Kingdom without Touya or Tomoyo.

_**End of Flashback**_

'But Touya and Tomoyo are dead now,' she sighed. She looked up and saw Syaoran picking an apple. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes your Highness," she stared up impatiently at the delicious fruits.

He tossed down an apple to her. Just as he did, she saw an image of Touya sitting up there tossing an apple down to Tomoyo. The apple fell past her hands and hit the ground. She stared at it for a second then began to cry. "Touya, Tomoyo," she whimpered.

Syaoran jumped out of the tree and watched her for a second. "Girl, why are you crying?" he demanded.

She looked up at him with her tear-filled eyes and began crying even more, "You took them away from me! Because of you, I'm never going to see my family again!"

Syaoran did not respond. Did he do something to anger her? He opened his mouth to say something but stopped him. He sensed someone coming closer. If that person saw him acting kindly around the likes of this girl then his reputation would be destroyed. She stared at him and gave a disgusted laugh, "You're not even listening to me are you? I hate you. I should have escaped while I had that chance. Why did I even-"

His fist collided with her face and she fell to the ground. She heard the sound of his sword being pulled out of its sheath. Sakura looked up at him and saw his sword inches from her face. "Why didn't you escape then?" he enquired with a glare on his face.

Sakura stared up at him in fear. He just went from a kind person to the most hated person in her life. "Why are you like this?" she whispered.

Syaoran's hold on the sword relaxed a bit. Even he didn't know the answer to that. "Your Highness! We have an issue!" a voice came from the distance.

His grip on his sword tightened, "What is it?"

A soldier appeared and made his way up to Syaoran, "It's the troops… the ones that you sent to find the Chikarain and Lord Hiiragizawa."

"He is no longer a 'Lord' her," Syaoran hissed turning his glare to the soldier.

The soldier swallowed nervously, "Yes, well, ahem. You must come to the knights room to discuss this matter," he glanced at Sakura, "Privately my liege."

Syaoran nodded, "You are dismissed."

The soldier nodded then ran off into the castle. Syaoran looked over at Sakura, "I'll deal with you later."

She simply replied with a glare. "It is not my fault that you're family decided to die protecting you. They could have just cooperated with my request and hand you and the other girl over, but they decided to go down with a fight. So do not blame me for your family's careless heroics efforts."

…Daidouji Kingdom…

Eriol strolled through the debris waiting for Tomoyo. She was in the tower performing the spell, and she refused to let him watch. 'After I allowed her to wield my sword,' he growled. He looked out into the field and saw a cloud of dust moving around in the distance. He closed his eyes and concentrated on it. A sound began to reach his ears. Horse hoofs pounding against the ground. His eyes shot open and he looked over at the castle. Tomoyo wouldn't be able to tell if they were under attack. He saw Tomoyo running out of the palace, "Eriol! I opened it!"

Eriol swore beneath his breath, "Tomoyo, get back into the castle now!"

She stopped and cocked her head to the side. "Now!" he repeated even louder than before.

…In the distance…

"Sir, we have spotted Lord Hiiragizawa," one of the soldiers reported, "Princess Tomoyo is in the palace."

"Capture the Princess; kill the boy," the captain ordered.

"But King Syaoran said-"

"That boy is going soft. I witnessed it myself. He is smitten with love for the Kinomoto princess. We have new orders from King Adrien."

…Where Eriol is…

He stood still where he was. He needed to protect Tomoyo from the army. The thought of her being placed in one of those birdcages angered him. The army charged at him at a rapid speed. He could hear one of the men shouting, "Hand over Princess Tomoyo!"

He remained there waiting for them to get close enough. "Eriol!" a faint cry came from behind him. He saw Tomoyo standing outside the palace doors.

"Go back inside Tomoyo, I can handle this," he shouted at her.

He looked back at the army. They were so close now that Eriol could see the faces of all the soldiers. "Halt!" the leader shouted.

They all came to a stop a few miles away from him. "Look at this, men! He's unarmed," the leader mocked, "What are your intentions lad? To shield the girl with your bloodied corpse?"

The men laughed at the captain's so-called-joke. As they continued to laugh, the leader stopped and made eye contact with Eriol. Eriol was expressionless and watching the army. "What are you up to?" he said but unheard to his troops.

Eriol's blank appearance changed to a menacing smile. Only the captain saw it and began shouting out orders but it was too late. Eriol waved his hand across the earth and a wall of fire separated him and the army. He could hear the men shouting and the horses whinnying in fear. Eriol ran back to the palace. That firewall wasn't going to stay up for very long.

In the castle he saw Tomoyo waiting at the door, "What was going on out there?"

"The Li soldiers have come to take you, we need to hurry," Eriol grabbed her hand and ran to the tower.

After they ran half of the way, they could hear men shouting behind them. "The firewall must have broken down," Eriol panted.

Tomoyo tripped whiled trying to keep up with him. Eriol caught her before she fell down, "We're almost there."

The kept running. Soon the men were in sight and on their tail. Tomoyo looked back at them and stopped. She did a quick spin on her toes then raised her arms in the direction of the soldiers. A barrier threw the soldiers back. Tomoyo began to run again, "That should slow them down a bit."

Eriol nodded, "Impressive."

She gave him a slight smile and made her way into the tower. A soft blue light lighted the floor and Eriol's sword was lying in the centre of it. Tomoyo took his hand and brought him to the centre. "Here we go," she said in an excited yet nervous voice.

Just then, the soldiers from before barged in. "Get them!" one of them shouted.

Two soldiers came at them with their swords ready. Just before they swung, Tomoyo let out a scream and clutched onto Eriol in fear. The light bellow them flashed and blinded the two. They could no longer hear the shouts from the soldiers. They opened their eyes under the impression that they were dead. "Queen Tomoyo, you have arrived," a voice came from behind them.

They both looked over at the two felines before a gate. One was a golden lion covered in armour; the other resembled a panther with wings. "I am Spinel Sun, your Majesty," the black cat lowered its head courteously.

"And I am Keroberos," the other cat did the same, "You may call me Kero, if you desire."

The gates opened revealing the kingdom behind it. Tomoyo gasped. It was a large town with the same blue light from before radiating from it. They went into the town and saw that everyone from the old kingdom was here, and they remained the same age as they were when the kingdom was attacked. Everything looked exactly like she remembered it. But something was missing… her mother.

Eriol stopped at a familiar shop. It was filled with more books than the library in the Li Kingdom. He remembered the last time that he came there. He was around the age of four and he was there with _her_.

**_Flashback _**

"I'm so glad that you could come back for a visit Eriol," Kaho giggled.

Eriol nodded silently as he watched her delicately move the books from shelf to shelf. She climbed up the wooden ladder looking for another book. She looked down at him and smiled, "You're really quiet."

He nodded again but this time smiled. Sure, he had not spoken in two years, but then again, there was no one he could talk to. Now he had Kaho though. It was possible that she could get him to talk. He leaned against the bookshelf and stared at her as she descended the ladder. Once on the ground, she leaned down, placing her hands on her knees and observed him from head to toe. "We are to be married, and it would be nice if I were able to speak with you," she gave him another one of her lovely smiles then gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Eriol's heart began to pound. She had just given him his first kiss! How was it that a thirteen-year-old would be so interested in a four-year-old? Wasn't it supposed to be wrong? Wrong by the fact that they were almost ten years apart? All this was being put on him so fast, as if everyone wanted him to mature quickly. He waved away the thought. Why shouldn't he be infatuated with Kaho? She was smart, kind, and gorgeous. She didn't seem to care about their ages; she cared about the actual person. Kaho went back to working, and he continued watching her. "Kaho?" he finally spoke up for the first time in two years.

She tore her attention away from her job and turned to Eriol. She had an overjoyed look on her face. It must have meant so much to her to hear his first words in so long. Eriol looked down at his feet shyly, "I cannot wait to marry you."

**_End of Flashback_**

Eriol chuckled at the mere memory of that day, but now it was time to move on. Kaho was no longer alive. His father told him that her corpse was lying in the street after the attack. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, "Excuse me sir, I feel foolish asking you this, but do I know you?"

Eriol laughed and turned around. His heart stopped when he saw the person standing before him. There was a girl around the age of sixteen with long flowing reddish-brown hair that went down to her waist and shimmering brown eyes. Her skin was pale but still radiant. She smiled her lovely smile and placed a hand over her heart, showing that she was in shock. Eriol smiled back at her, "Kaho."

**ChiChi's Note: Hm… I don't really like Kaho. In my opinion, she's a bloody pedophile(I'm so sorry Kaho fans), but I'm taking in a liking to her in my fanfic, considering she's the same age as Eriol now that I preserved her age hehehe. Oh dear, this could end badly. Review!**


	10. New Arrival Tomoyo's Story

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Okay so this chapter isn't the best but the next one will be. I promise. This chapter was split into two because I'm way to lazy to write anything decent. Hehehe shows how will-powered I am. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Part I

New Arrival

Sakura silently crept through the drafty halls. She could hear Syaoran's voice, and it seemed to be the only thing she could follow. Ahead, she saw a slightly opened door with light seeping out of the open crack. She peeked inside and saw Syaoran and the soldier talking. Syaoran was leaning against the table listening with a calm expression on his face. The soldier was pacing around explaining a certain matter, "The captain should know better! The Chikarains cannot be trusted. They're pure evil and with the girl and our troops on their side; they have the upper hand. Not to mention, our strongest mage is now against our kingdom as well."

Syaoran closed his eyes and nodded, "If my troops are to go against my orders, they will certainly kill my cousin."

Sakura closed her eyes and listened to the calmness in Syaoran's voice. She had never heard it so tranquil before. She could feel her stomach knotting up and shivers running down her spine. She opened her eyes and tilted her head to the side, watching the two in the room. Syaoran sighed, "As for his companion… I cannot seem to figure out why Adrien would want to kill the ones that possess these powers. The only thing he can accomplish with a corpse is…"

"What is it sire?" the soldier stopped his pacing and looked at his king questioningly.

Syaoran paused, staring down at the ground thoughtfully. He stood up straight, taking all his weight off the table, and slowly walked over to the soldier. "I give you authority of our army. Defy me and you shall be the first to perish," Syaoran gave him and icy glare, "I want you to pursue the other army and I want you to intercept them from carrying out their mission."

The soldier nodded, "Yes Sir!"

"I want you to bring Eriol and Princess Tomoyo back to the Li Kingdom alive, and if she refu-"

"What?" a furious shout came from the doorway.

Syaoran sighed with irritation and looked over at the fuming Sakura. "You knew she was alive and you didn't tell me?" she shrieked, "Is there anything else that you're hiding from me you bastard?"

"As I was saying," Syaoran turned to his soldier, "If she refuses; tell her that I'm willing to offer a trade."

Sakura and the soldier cocked their heads to the side. "She already knows what she wants, and that is what she will get," Syaoran then went back to leaning on the table, "You are dismissed."

The soldier nodded then ran out of the room. Sakura turned to leave as well. "Girl," Syaoran said quickly.

Sakura stopped and turned to him, "Yes your grace?"

Syaoran seemed to almost grimace once she spoke, "Come. Let us go for a walk."

…Rosuto Daidouji…

Eriol stared at the girl before him with amazement. "Eriol, I've missed you so much!" Kaho exclaimed.

He took the girl into his arms and spun her around. He stopped and held her close to him, "I thought you were dead. I'm sorry for not searching for you, but now… we can be together."

…In the palace…

Tomoyo groaned, "I do not see it necessary for me to have ten maids tending to me while I change."

The ten women hustled around her, fixing her hair, tightening the cords on her dress, rubbing a damp cloth over her wounds. "But your highness, it is mandatory for us to care for to you," one of the maids piped up, "And we must hasten, the first order of business in Rosuto Daidouji is for you to be present at the ceremony."

All ten maids finished their tasks exactly after the maid finished speaking. Tomoyo walked over to the mirror and stared at herself. She looked completely different now. Her hair was all pinned up except for a few strands that fell into her face, the scratches that she had received from the prewar were less visible, and she was wearing a black gown that ended just below the knees. Why would she be wearing black to a ceremony? Usually, royalty would wear bright colours. Kero entered the room and bowed his head, "My Queen, the town awaits your arrival."

"Kero, what is this ceremony for?" Tomoyo demanded.

Kero's expression saddened, "It is to contact Queen Sonomi so she may hand the kingdom over to you."

Tomoyo nodded and followed Kero out into the town.

…Li Kingdom…

Sakura followed Syaoran through the gardens. They both walked in silence, not knowing what to say. The long silence was actually beginning to scare Sakura. She looked up at Syaoran, who seemed to be very deep in thought. Would he be angry if she interrupted him? Maybe not… "K-king Syaoran?"

He stopped walking and looked over at her. Sakura couldn't help but stare into his amber eyes, right now, they seemed so warm and welcoming, "What is it?"

"What are you going to do after the war is over?"

Syaoran kept silent for a bit longer, "If my kingdom is victorious… I suppose I should find a queen."

Once again, Sakura did not know how to respond. For some reason, she wished that the Li Kingdom would be slaughtered for what they did to her kingdom, but deep down, she wanted them to win this war. "This war will be quite difficult," Syaoran sighed, "It will also be very dangerous."

She looked over at Syaoran and saw him struggling to speak. She looked down at her wrist and saw the orb glowing. It was burning her wrist. "Is something wrong?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura held her wrist out to Syaoran. He stared at the orb and touched the orb. His hand recoiled, "I'm doing that, aren't I?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm not sure why it grows hotter though."

The sound of footsteps approaching was heard. Sakura needed to preserve the warmth in her bracelet if she wanted to activate it. She glanced at Syaoran who was already looking in the direction of the footsteps. She needed to act quickly. She used the first idea that popped into her head. She dropped to her knee, bowing her head; her hands holding the folds of her skirt.

Soon after, a soldier showed up. He stared at Sakura curtsying to Syaoran. He shook his head and reported to his King. The soldier whispered something into his ear, careful not to let Sakura hear. Syaoran nodded, "You did not cage her did you?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Dismissed."

The soldier bowed to Syaoran and ran off. Syaoran looked over at Sakura, "Would you like to go see her?"

…The Cage Room…

"So you are Sakura's um… seeester?" Odelette leaned her head against her cage's bars.

Tomoyo shook her head. She seemed very distracted. "What happened to you?" Meilin enquired.

She did not respond. She stood in front of the four cages, staring at them curiously. What were they for? Meilin interrupted her thoughts once again, "It must have been really bad. You are covered in blood."

"We should give up! She will not answerrr," Odelette shrugged.

Tomoyo glared at the two girls, "You really want to know what happened to me?"

Chapter 10: Part II

Tomoyo's Story

"_I was in the lost city, Rosuto Daidouji. There I was supposed to perform a ceremony where my mother would hand the kingdom to me. They had brought me into the town, where my mother's grave was-"_

"Wait! 'ow eez your mother supposed to give you zee kingdom eef she eez already dead?" Odelette enquiered.

"People from the Daidouji Kingdom are able to call and talk to spirits from the afterlife," Meilin explained.

"_Yes. Now, as I was saying, there was this black carpet that made its way to the grave and I was to walk down it. I was being led by Kero and behind me was Spinel. They were both the protectors of Rosuto Daidouji. As I was walking down the carpet, I saw Eriol there with this girl. I do not know who she was though, but people in the crowd would look at them and smile sweetly. Then Eriol looked straight at me. I smiled at him and went on my way. Everyone was crying as they watched me go by. I finally reached the grave and I began dancing."_

"Eez zat how you talk to zee spirits?"

Meilin shushed Odelette and nodded.

"_I spoke to my mother…She told me that she needed to be with me at this time. She told me that there was danger nearby. I stopped dancing and a dove flew down from the sky and landed on my shoulder. I could hear my mother's voice in my head saying, 'I'm here now.'"_

There was a long pause. Meilin cocked her head to the side waiting for her to continue with the story. "What happened next?" she asked in a soft voice.

"_Suddenly someone began screaming for help. No one could understand why the villager was screaming though. Then it happened. Rosuto Daidouji was invaded by the Li Kingdom's troops. They surrounded the crowd and began killing their way to the centre. I managed to find an escape but I'm not certain if anyone else did. It turns out that the commander of the troops was a Daidouji at birth. That's how they got into my kingdom. I ran for the portal that would bring me back to Japan, but the commander was there waiting for me. He chased me back into the town. By that point, all of the people were dead. My entire kingdom attended that ceremony. The commander grabbed me and pinned me to the ground. A few more men gathered around to watch. And then…everything went black. That's all I remember. I woke later in the ruins of Daidouji and that's where the other troops told me what happened."_

Meilin and Odelette stared at Tomoyo in shock. The doors behind them opened. Tomoyo turned to face King Syaoran. He stared at her from head to toe then smirked, "Well, if it isn't the girl who slaughtered my army single-handedly."

**ChiChi's Note: Personally I don't think that it's that good but I had to write something. I found it taking toooooo long writing the ceremony then the attack so yeah! Anyways, review!**


	11. Kaho or Tomoyo

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Well I had no idea what to name this chapter so I just went with that. I'm really tired so I didn't bother reviewing this again. No worries, I always edit my stories in the end so yeah… Enjoy**

Chapter 11

Kaho or Tomoyo

Tomoyo glared at Syaoran as he circled around her like a vulture. Eyeing her from head-to-toe. Everyone just stared at her in silence. What was wrong? "Wh-What did you mean when you said that I slaughtered your entire army?" she enquired.

Syaoran stopped circling and smirked, "It's rather simple. You," he waved his hand to refer to her, "Killed every man from my elite force."

"But that's impossible! Tomoyo's never even touched a weapon before you came for us!" Sakura cried.

"Zat blood… eet must be from zee battle zat you were in," Odelette concluded.

"Ah yes, you are all covered in blood," Syaoran noticed, "Well I suppose we'll have to continue this discussion later. You will follow the guards to your quarters then you shall meet with me in the throne room to work out an agreement."

Tomoyo glanced at Sakura then nodded. Syaoran took one more look at Tomoyo then left the room. Sakura went to follow him, but stopped; she turned to Tomoyo and smiled, "I know what he said was not true. I'm glad to see you again."

With that she took in a deep breath and ran out after Syaoran.

…Tomoyo's Chamber…

Tomoyo sat quietly in the red stained water deep in thought. She made a cup with her hands and lifted up the water. 'Did I really kill all of those men?' she wondered as she let the water slip through the cracks between her fingers. She stared at her fingers then touched the water. Instantly, the water became clean once more. If only our sins were like that. Just by the touch of a finger, we would become pure once again. She looked over at the dress that was provided for her. 'I think I should go see him now.'

…Throne Room…

Sakura leaned against the wall playing with her bracelet. She knew that Syaoran was watching her and it made her feel safer. There was so warmth coming from the bracelet that soon it would burn her. How much longer would it take before it would activate? She looked up at the throne and watched his expression turn into a frown. He quickly turned his head in the other direction then muttered something quietly. "Girl, does it always take your cousin this long to get ready? I want to know where my… never mind."

Sakura tilted her head to the side, "Where your…"

"It's nothing," Syaoran got up and walked towards her, "Earlier in the garden, why did you curtsy to me when you heard my soldier coming?"

Sakura looked down at the ground, "I didn't want you to get angry again."

Syaoran smirked; "Would you prefer that I did something…" he leant in and softly brushed his lips against hers, "…like that?"

Sakura's heart began to pound but she still managed to maintain her ability to speak, "You wouldn't do that in front of your soldiers. If you ever did; you would kill all witnesses."

"Indeed he would, but if he wanted something from said person; he would, in fact, wait until he gets what he wanted, then he would get me to kill them for him," a voice intruded.

Syaoran frowned and stepped away from Sakura, "Why aren't you dead?"

He spun around and found his cousin sitting in his royal chair. "Sorry, was I interrupting?" Eriol asked innocently.

"You're alive Lord Hiiragizawa! Tomoyo will be very happy," Sakura exclaimed.

Eriol froze and stared at her, "She… she's still alive? But how?"

Syaoran stormed up to his throne and threw Eriol off of it, "Quite the savage. She killed everyone in sight. I assume that you helped her? I find it hard to believe that she did that all alone."

"No, we watched her do it," Eriol shrugged as he got up from the floor.

"We?" Sakura and Syaoran asked together.

Eriol gave a warm smile, "Yes Kaho and I."

…Somewhere in the castle…

Tomoyo walked quickly through the hallways trying to find the throne room. She remembered it being near the entrance, but… where was the entrance? She turned the corner and came face-to-face with a familiar red-haired girl. The girl gasped and bowed, "Your Majesty! I am glad that you are safe. I am Kaho Mizuki; Eriol Hiiragizawa's fiancée."

She smiled politely; "So you're the one, huh?" Tomoyo shook her head, 'I sound so jealous.' She looked around trying to find something to change the subject, "Do you know where the throne room is?"

Kaho pointed down the hallway behind her. Tomoyo looked down it and saw the main hall. She laughed at herself for a second, "I can't believe that I didn't notice that."

"Don't worry Your Majesty, I…" Kaho trailed off into a story about how many times she had gotten lost since they arrived.

_Don't worry Your Majesty. _Now that she thought about it, Kaho didn't seem like such a bad person and she really didn't need to be so formal. She wanted to be friends, "Tomoyo."

Kaho stopped speaking and stared at her with a confused look on her face. Tomoyo giggled, "You do not have to call me 'Your Majesty' or 'Princess' or anything that implies that I am royalty. Just call me Tomoyo."

The two girls giggled then made their way to the throne room.

They were immediately recognized as soon as they entered. "Princess Tomoyo, I have a proposition for you," Syaoran announced as he leaned back into his chair.

"I believe we have already come to the conclusion that we are to make a deal," Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

Syaoran glared at her, but it soon turned into another one of his smirks, "Hm, I like you already," he stated, earning a snigger from Eriol, "Since you are already an ally of Chikara; I need you to go into the castle and find out their plans. I believe you are friends with the head swordswoman so get your information through her, and what ever you do; stay away from Adrien."

Tomoyo nodded, "And what do I get in return?"

Syaoran paused to think about it, "The girl."

Tomoyo looked over to her cousin, "Agreed."

Syaoran stood from his seat, "It is late now. Let us all meet in the dining room to eat."

Little did any of them know, not one of them showed up to eat that evening.

…Tomoyo's chambers…

Sakura and Tomoyo sat on the bed telling each other about everything that happened while they were separated. Stories about their travelling, the things they saw, and best of all, their first kisses. "Is there something wrong?" Tomoyo asked Sakura.

Sakura's eyes saddened, "Tomoyo, it's all so unfair."

Tomoyo's expression became miserable as well, "For both of us?"

"For both of us. Lord Hiiragizawa has a fiancée but he also seems to like you, and I want to go with you, but I also do not want to leave King Syaoran's side. I guess we really will lose everything, but at least we still have each other," Sakura smiled at Tomoyo, but somehow, it seemed to be fake.

Tomoyo got off the bed and went over to the window. She had an idea. It would mean that everything she went through would be in vain, but this was Sakura's happiness. So what if she herself was unhappy? As long as everyone else was okay, she would be able to live with herself. "You want to stay with him right?" she asked.

Sakura nodded, "Yes but what about you?"

"Forget me. If he is really important to you; you shouldn't let him slip away," Tomoyo said with much emotion in her voice, "Do not come with me. I'll speak to him about a new proposition, but if he refuses…"

Sakura's eyes widened. Tomoyo couldn't imagine what was going through her mind right then. Sakura got off the bed and ran out of the room. "Sakura! Wait!" Tomoyo ran after her but as soon as she got out of her room, she was gone.

Was it something she said? Tomoyo sighed and rubbed her temple. She needed to get some fresh air… maybe out in the garden.

…Meanwhile…

Sakura ran through the hallways, 'Which door was it? Oh, I don't remember!' Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet. She looked up and saw Eriol standing before her. "Princess, what a surprise," he smiled, "Can I help you?"

Sakura got up and stared at him, 'Can I trust him? Maybe he can help me; he would understand.' She swallowed hard then spoke, "Lord Hiiragizawa, I need your help, but you have to keep it a secret from King Syaoran, please."

Eriol was silent for a moment then nodded, "What is it?"

"Where are his chambers? I left the cage keys in my dress' pouch and I am sure that my dress is still on the chair in his room. I need it," Sakura explained.

His eyebrows rose, "You wouldn't be planning on setting the other two free, would you?"

She shook her head, "No, I need it for something else."

Eriol smirked as if he read her mind, "Okay, come with me."

They walked down many hallways before they came to the door of his chambers. "I will distract him, as I do so, you will get your key, but do it quickly," Eriol whispered.

"Thank you my Lord," Sakura bowed her head.

"Go hide and when I enter the room, you go in," he ordered then knocked on the door.

Sakura rushed behind a statue and peered around the edge. Syaoran opened the door and immediately glared at his visitor, "What do you want Eriol?"

"I just came to ask a couple questions," he answered smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Syaoran chuckled, "Curiosity killed the cat, and don't smile like that."

Eriol shook his head, "Clever, but no. May I come in?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, "Are you alone?"

Eriol entered the room, "Of course."

Eriol looked around the room and saw the dress that Sakura spoke of on the chair. He went over to the chair and picked the dress up, "Your maids do not know how to clean?"

"I suppose not," Syaoran scoffed.

Eriol spotted Sakura in the room hiding behind a large vase. He nodded then tossed the dress to the ground a few feet away from the vase, "Hm, they should come clean it eventually. Isn't that the dress that the princess was wearing before? Did you sleep-"

"You're disgusting," Syaoran cut him off before he could finish.

Eriol watched out of the corner of his eye as Sakura grabbed the dress, pulled out the key and put it back in the same spot. "What are you looking at?" Syaoran enquired.

He followed his eyes and stopped at the dress. He stood there, eyes stuck on the spot. Eriol began to panic. Sakura wouldn't be able to get out if Syaoran was still staring at the spot. He had to somehow get his attention away from it, "Uh, so why did decide to trade the princess to Tomoyo?"

Syaoran didn't move his eyes, "Because she'll be safer with her."

Eriol smirked, 'I suppose I could get him to say some things about her while she's still there.' He sat down in the chair, "So it was an act of love, shall we say?"

He was silent for a moment then walked towards the vase. He stopped at where the dress laid then frowned, "Get out Eriol."

"Dearest cousin, you cannot get rid of me that easily," Eriol replied.

"Can't I?" he drew his sword and pointed it in Eriol's direction, "I don't care if I promised mother that I wouldn't kill you. If you don't, I'll break that promise within a matter of seconds."

Eriol smirked again, "Well we wouldn't want you to do that. I'll leave."

He heard a faint squeak of protest come from behind the vase, making him chuckle. Syaoran followed him out of the room and closed the door. "Why is she in there?" he demanded.

"It's for a good reason," Eriol replied nonchalantly, "But if I may, she wants to stay with you even if it means giving up her safety, her life, and more importantly, her only family."

"So what should I do?" he murmured.

"Well, I am going to the garden," Eriol chuckled as if that were his solution, "Go easy on her."

Syaoran nodded then went back into his room. He glanced at the vase then went over to sit in a chair facing it. He stared at it with amusement. He wondered how long she could stay there for.

…The garden…

Tomoyo laid on the grass smiling at the bird perched on her arm. "I'm sure I did the right thing. I just hope that he'll agree," Tomoyo said quietly.

"_You started this journey to retrieve your cousin, but in the end you simply let her go." _Tomoyo sighed, "Yes that's right, because her happiness-"

_"Is your happiness, yes I know dearest. But what about your happiness? I believe that you are smitten with Mizuki's fiancé."_ Tomoyo let out a laugh, "Perhaps but once again, he is happy with her. If I interfere…"

_"I'm sorry my dear. In a world filled with happy people, there will always be one who is sad."_ Tomoyo sat up and sighed, "I know mother. I think maybe I shall go to sleep."

The bird chirped and flew off. Tomoyo stood up and watched as her mother disappeared into the night. "Tomoyo?" a voice called from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Good evening Eriol. I see you didn't go to diner as well."

"I wasn't hungry; I had too much on my mind."

"Such as…"

Eriol began to walk along the pathway, "Well, you mainly, then the war, and how Syaoran-"

"How is that? You are bound to a woman already. It's sinful to think of another woman," she interrupted and walked along with him.

"I believe you are a princess, not a priestess, and until I marry Kaho, I am not bound to her," Eriol responded and lightly took hold of her hand.

Tomoyo looked down at their hands, "You're enjoying this aren't you? Toying with my feelings?"

He shook his head, "Tomoyo, I'm not trying to. If you had any idea how much I…"

Tomoyo stared at him waiting for him to finish. They stopped walking and faced each other, "I want to be with you. I wish that I never went with you to Rosuto Daidouji, but I did and now…"

Tomoyo stepped closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, "It's too late?"

His hand tightened around hers, "I can't do this anymore," he let go of her and began to walk away, "Because… I love you."

Tomoyo grimaced then turned to him, "I didn't want you to do this, but this situation will keep torturing you until you do it, and I can't stand to watch you suffer. Choose."

"What?"

"You have to choose between Kaho and I," she answered, "It's the only way to solve this problem."

He nodded then went to walk in the opposite direction. 'So I have to decide between the two. It doesn't matter…'

"Eriol!" a voice called out.

He looked to the source and saw Kaho running towards him. She jumped into his arms and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "What are you doing out here?"

Eriol shook his head and smiled at her giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Oh nothing special. Come, let's go inside."

Kaho began telling him about how she was becoming really close with Tomoyo and Eriol listened silently. In the back of his mind he finally figured it out.

_'I think I've already decided.'_

**ChiChi's Note: ARGH! I feel like I rushed this chapter big time, but I am quite enjoying the situation that I put Sakura in. Fun, fun, fun. Okay REVIEW!**


	12. Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I promise that I won't make you guys wait longer than a month for this story ever again. I was sorta deprived of computer time. There's a Korean exchange student living in my house who uses the computer whenever I feel like writing so… yeah. But worry not, I've been inspired to write whenever I can get my hands on the computer! So yes. That's my excuse. Enjoy this chapter everyone!**

Chapter 12

Confessions

Hours. That's how long it had been since Syaoran had sat down and started staring in her direction. Did he know? Maybe he didn't or else he would have said something. She was just about to surrender and come out until he gave an irritated sigh. He got up and walked over to the door. He left the room leaving the door wide open. Now was her chance! Sakura got up from her hiding spot and scurried out the door. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she felt secure once more, but that feeling was soon replaced with terror, for as soon as she got out, a hand seized her wrist making her scream. She was quickly spun around and was then pinned against the wall. She stared at Syaoran who had locked his hand around her wrist and held her shoulder firmly against the wall. "What were you doing in my room girl?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Sakura blushed, "I… I am very sorry King Syaoran… it's just that… I-"

"Your intentions _were _honourable, weren't they," Syaoran implied.

Sakura's jaw dropped, "You cannot be serious!"

"Then what were you doing?"

"Getting something."

"Which would be."

"Something that I needed…"

"What was it?"

"My… dress."

Syaoran paused for a second then searched her, "I do not see it with you."

"I… just needed something from it master."

He shook his head, "You don't have to address me like that anymore princess. You are no longer mine."

Sakura tilted her head to the side. He smirked, "You really are dense. Part of the agreement was to give you over, making you no longer my slave."

"Do you really mean it?" she enquired. She looked straight into his eyes and smiled.

Syaoran paused for a moment, "That is what I promised."

He released her and headed to his room. He stopped in the middle of his doorway keeping his eyes on the ground, "But I wish I didn't."

He went to close the door but it was stopped by Sakura's hand. "King Syaoran…" she sighed with a sad expression on her face, "Even if I'm no longer your slave, I'll still always be yours."

…The next morning…

Eriol opened his eyes to the familiar room. How long had it been since he had slept in his own room? He grinned once he recognized a certain scent flowing through his room. Somehow the aroma reminded him of Tomoyo, but it couldn't be her could it? He turned his head to the side and looked over by the window. There, standing by the window was Tomoyo. She rested in the rays of light pouring through the window as she arranged the flowers in her hands into a bouquet with care. The first thing he thought was how beautiful she looked. The light shining on her with that certain angle. He let out a slight chuckle, 'I can see through her dress.' She brought her attention to him and smiled, "Good morning Eriol."

"Good morning," he replied, still gawking at her.

And then the light left. A cloud unexpectedly covered the sun and made the room slightly darker. He then noticed that it was no longer Tomoyo standing before him, but Kaho. "Tomoyo is leaving today," she walked over to him and showed him the flowers in her hand, "Aren't they beautiful? They're her majesty's favourite. Do you think that she would accept them?"

Eriol stared at Kaho's face with confusion. How could he mistake her for Tomoyo? It was impossible. The two were completely different people. He looked down at the flowers. Maybe the scents made him imagine it, but how? Lilies… He then recalled her always wearing one in her hair when they were in the Daidouji territory. He got out of bed and nodded his head, "She'll love them."

He watched Kaho place the finishing touches on the bouquet. His mind was elsewhere though. Today, he was going to tell Tomoyo his decision.

…The Throne Room…

"King Syaoran, I wish to change our agreement," the young princess announced as she made her way through the doors.

Syaoran stood from his seat and strolled over to where she was, "And what would this alteration be?"

Tomoyo smiled, almost knowingly, "I want Sakura to stay here. It would be suspicious if I brought her with me to Chikara without killing you. Besides, she's _safer_ with you than with me."

"No. I don't care if that was what Eriol told you. She's not staying here."

"It wasn't Eriol's decision; it was Sakura's."

"She chose being with me over being with her cousin," he stated with disbelief, "Leave her in a town. Not in one within my kingdom. If you do leave her here, I shall merely have my guards escort her to another village along the borders of this territory."

"King Syaoran, do you not care about her at all?" she enquired.

He paused for a moment then scowled at her, "I have spoken. The girl does not stay."

Tomoyo glared at him, "Men never realize what they have," she muttered under her breath, "Your cages. They only have one key?"

"Yes I'm the only one who has it," Syaoran answered.

"I hope you find it," she smiled then left the room.

Syaoran cocked his head to the side, 'What did she mean by…' The answer hit him, "That's what she was doing in my room."

…In the garden…

Sakura spun around playfully, looking up into the sky. Flower petals danced freely around her as she twirled in the wind. She hoped Tomoyo had managed to change the agreement. The sound of footsteps made her turn her head to the direction of the castle. She saw a soldier walking towards her, "King Syaoran requests your presence in the library."

Sakura nodded and walked into the castle, 'I wonder what he wants.'

…Somewhere in the castle…

Eriol walked with Kaho through the corridors. "Kaho, I need to tell you something," Eriol sighed running his fingers through his hair, "I've been keeping something from you for a while."

Kaho nodded her head, "Go on."

"When I thought you were dead, I…" Eriol paused for a moment; "I fell in love with someone else… well maybe at least. After I found you, I still cared both of you, but now I only have feelings for one."

Kaho stared at him with a calm face, but he could see, deep in her eyes she was shocked or even amazed. He then saw her gazing intently at his eyes, as if almost peering into his soul. She then grinned once she realized whom he loved, "Really?"

Eriol laughed, "Yes."

She continued to walk side by side with him down the hallway, giggling from time to time. Eriol smiled, "So you forgive me?"

Kaho nodded, "Of course I do. I could never be angry at you Eriol," she nudged him gently with her shoulder, "Besides, I'm too old for you anyways."

…The Library…

Sakura walked into the library and sat down quietly on top of one of the tables. She stared down at the ground and traced the form of the key in her dress pouch. A tear shed from her eye, "He doesn't want me here. He'll only let me stay on a bribe."

She grabbed a pen and paper and wrote something down. She then took the key out and laid in on top of the piece of paper. Another tear fell from her eye and landed on the paper. She went to the door. She couldn't face Syaoran anymore. Her heart felt broken as she finally realized how much of a burden she was to Syaoran. She needed to find Tomoyo. She was the only one now who could put the pieces of her heart back together. "Sakura, why are leaving?"

Sakura froze in mid-step. She turned and saw someone standing in front of the window. She smiled once she recognized his face, 'So this is why Syaoran summoned me here.' If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up from it. "Let's go home Sakura. We can be together there," the well-known voice offered.

Sakura took a step towards the figure and smiled. She another tear escaped her eye, but this time it was one of happiness, "T-Touya."

…Nearby…

Syaoran stormed down the hallway, following Sakura's aura. 'She lied to me, that sneaky wench,' he thought partly amused, but enraged. He stopped, sensing white magic in the castle. He shook his head and continued walking, 'It must be her cousin training.' He walked down the steps and made his way in front of the library door. "Why is she in here?" he wondered.

He pushed the door open and found Sakura there, but she was not alone. He looked at the man that she was walking towards. He seemed very familiar. He shook his head in disbelief.

_Syaoran walked down the roads. The sound of screaming resounding through his ears. A melody of pure bliss. He continued to walk towards his destination, but was stopped by someone in the road. The prince of the Kinomoto Kingdom._

"It's impossible… I killed you," he whispered.

It was then he realised the strong beam of light in the room coming from behind him. A light this white could only come from the heavens… or, "Chikara," he hissed.

Syaoran then noticed that Sakura was walking towards Touya. She had no idea that it was only an illusion. "Sakura, I've missed you so much," the illusion murmured in an enchanting tone that drew her even closer to it.

'Once Sakura touches that thing, she'll be transported to Chikara. So this was the magic that I sensed,' he thought walking up to Sakura and grabbing her by the wrist, "Don't touch him, it's a trap."

Sakura whipped around, "King Syaoran…" she looked back at her beloved brother, "T-Touya, is he lying?"

"Don't listen to that brat Sakura, you know that I would never lie to you," he then gave her a comforting smile and extended his arm to her.

Sakura went to him, but was jerked back by Syaoran's hold, "It's an illusion. White magic. You'll be in serious danger if you-"

"Your lying!" she screamed, "Ever since I met you, all you've tried to do is keep me from my family. I want to be with my brother!"

"Don't disobey me girl or else the consequences will be grave," Syaoran growled.

She ripped her arm away from him and ran to Touya as fast as she could. She threw her arms around him and rested her head against him. "Girl, no!" Syaoran shouted.

Sakura released her brother and faced Syaoran, "King Syaoran, this is my brother and I will stay with him."

Suddenly, a bright flash lit the room and Sakura fell to her knees screaming as lightning bolts flew from the illusion and into her body. Syaoran stood helplessly watching her cry out in agony. He glared at the illusion, "I know you can hear me Adrien, let her go."

A laugh came from Touya, "You really think that would be in my plan."

She fell unconscious on the ground. Syaoran knew it was already too late to save her. She had already touched the illusion. Now, once the illusion faded, she would be gone, "Adrien, I you dare hurt her, I will kill you."

The illusion disappeared and so did Sakura. He placed his hands on the table and hung his head down. 'I couldn't stop her,' he thought.

Something then caught his eye. It was the key on top of a note from Sakura. He took the two items and stared at them both. He then carefully read the short note.

Eriol ran into the room, "What happened? I heard screaming."

He stared at his cousin standing there with the cage key and a piece of paper in his hand. The note slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Syaoran clenched the key in his fist, "Eriol. Gather all of the men in the kingdom. If Adrien wants to provoke war so soon, then let it be."

"What are you talking about?" Eriol enquired.

Syaoran glared at Eriol in a way that he hadn't in months and went for the door, "I will not repeat myself. I'm giving you 24 hours to do as I command, and tell your girlfriend that her cousin has been kidnapped."

Syaoran then pushed Eriol into the bookshelves roughly and left the room without giving him a second glance. Eriol stood there for a moment, "They kidnapped princess Sakura."

He went over to the note and picked it up. It was for Syaoran.

_I'm sorry for always being a burden on you. Before I leave with Tomoyo, I would like to know one thing. I will always love you, even if you don't love me._

_Sakura_

**ChiChi's Note: Once again I'm sorry for not updating in so long. I won't update for the rest of the week but I believe that I'll be able to next week. Also, special thanks to ****Story Weaver1****, FlowerLover, and Youkaigirl64 who have actually reviewed every chapter of my story! You guys are so nice! Anyways review!**


	13. Dead Flowers

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: I bet 10$ that you're all going to be angry at me by the end of this chapter. Can't wait to read it now huh? Now you might be able to find out what's going to happen just by reading the title, but then again you may not… Oh well. I have realized that I've gotten 100 reviews for the first time, unfortunately I didn't realize it until afterwards when I already screwed up the beginning, but anyways, Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

Dead Flowers

Sakura woke up to the smell of sweet flowers. It triggered something in her memory and forced her eyes open. "Touya?" she sat up quickly but then cringed in pain. She looked at the room she was in. Everything was purely white. It was much like Syaoran's room without the paintings and… She looked over to the side and stared at the flowers beside her. They were the same type but dried up and droopy. She remembered the ones in his room were so beautiful and healthy. She got out of the bed and walked over to the window. Out in the distance, she could see the Li Kingdom. Her eyes widened, "I'm not in the Li Kingdom?"

A man barged into the room and grabbed her wrist. He began to shout at her in a foreign language. He dragged her out of the room and brought her out into the hallway. He released her and pointed down the hall, shouting something again. Sakura didn't quite understand what he wanted but since he was pointing down the hall she decided that she would go down that way. There were many maids standing around socializing and as she passed by, they all gasped and bowed. In the middle of her walk she stopped in front of a large door with two guards standing before it. They took note of her presence and opened the doors. Curiously, Sakura walked into the room. She looked around in amazement as soon as she entered the room. There were many people standing against the walls and at the end of the room, was someone sitting on a throne. "Princess Sakura Kinomoto how was your trip?" he asked in a comforting voice, "Please come closer."

Sakura did as told and advanced until she saw the man clearly. Kneeling beside his throne was a familiar woman but she couldn't seem to place her. She was dressed like an arms woman of some sort. The man got off his throne and smiled at her, "I am King Adrien. King of Chikara."

He walked up to her and ran his fingers through her hair, "What an ugly colour," he muttered, "It seems as if our guess was right. Kidnapping you was the perfect was to start the war. King Syaoran has his mind set so much on you, that it doesn't matter to him that his troops are hardly trained, as long as he gets you back."

Sakura gasped, "So that was just an illusion? Touya's really dead?"

Adrien gave a slight chuckled, "You should have listened to him," he whispered into her ear, "He really did care about you."

"Syaoran," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

A smile appeared on Adrien's face, "What a beautiful reaction," there was a sudden movement from him. An instant later, Sakura felt an excruciating pain in her stomach. She let out a scream and looked down. Adrien had driven a dagger straight into her, "I'm excited to see little Syaoran's face when he sees you dead in my arms."

…Li Kingdom…

Eriol stepped up onto the platform at the centre of the town. The crowd instantly gathered around. He scanned the mob of what seemed to be angry villagers, but far in the back, he saw someone staring up at him with a curious look on her face. Underneath the cloak's hood was Tomoyo. 'Probably here picking up supplies for her trip. She probably doesn't know that princess Sakura is gone,' he presumed. He pulled out a parchment of paper and read it over quickly. He could hear the murmur of the village's soft voices. His eyes wandered over the paper and rested on a small group of children standing in the very front, staring up at him in awe. He looked at their naïve little faces and grimaced. He didn't want them to worry about the war. He didn't want them to be scared for the rest of their lives because of this. He glanced at the paper again, doubting whether he should read it or not, then shook the thought away. He cleared his voice and began to read, "A proclamation from the King. The neighbouring kingdom of Chikara has coveted a precious treasure from the Li Kingdom. They have destroyed our land and killed our people. Every able man and woman in the kingdom has been called to the Li Kingdom Refuge for war preparations. There will be no further instructions. The penalty for self-mutilation or disobedience towards the conscription will be the death of your entire family. That is all."

Many gasps and chatters came from the panicked crowd. Eriol dropped the paper and descended from the platform. "Eriol!" someone shouted, earning some stares from the townsmen.

Tomoyo ran up to him, "Why is it that war is upon us? It's too early. King Syaoran told me that war would only come into effect by autumn and it is only spring."

Eriol opened his mouth to reply but he felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of his shirt. He looked down and saw two children who were standing in the front row. "Lord Hiiragizawa, is our mommy and daddy going to die?" the little girl asked, tightening her grip on her brother's hand, "Is the town in danger?"

Eriol remained silent for a moment and gazed upon the faces of the brother and sister, "Ye-"

"Of course not!" Tomoyo interrupted, "You see, Lord Hiiragizawa will be able to protect many people with his magic. He's a great fighter so we'll all be okay."

The two children beamed and ran off. Eriol frowned, "You didn't have to tell them that. You're giving them false hope."

Tomoyo sighed, "I apologize for that but I wouldn't like to know if my family were going to die. It would cause so much sorrow and grief. I never knew, and I was able to get over it quickly."

Eriol shook his head and began walking back to the palace; "Say what you like dear princess, but secretly, you still mourn for them every night when you think no one is looking. It's harder keeping your pain on the inside than on the outside."

They stopped at the steps leading up to the castle. On the first step was a bouquet of Tomoyo's favourite flowers. "Ah yes," Eriol chuckled and picked them up, "I knew I forgot something. A gift to you from my ex-fiancée."

Tomoyo took the flowers and smiled, "Tell her I said thank you."

Eriol waited a moment then laughed, "Maybe I underestimated you observational skills. If you excuse me, I must prepare for my trip to the refuge."

He went up the steps leaving Tomoyo baffled.

…The garden…

Syaoran swung his sword violently, taking out all his rage on a tree, "I should have protected her better. I should have just let her stay with me."

He glared at the tree that only had an inch of wood holding it together at the center. He then sensed a presence behind him, "What is it?"

"Your Highness, your dinner is ready," a girl's voice answered.

He turned to her and smirked. She didn't seem afraid of him at all. Before all his servants and guards would cringe in fear of him, and ever since Sakura came into his life, they had abandoned their fear. She tilted her head slightly then walked away. Syaoran frowned, "I did not dismiss you wench! I am in the worst mood; it is best if you do not anger me."

The maid turned to him and instead of apologizing she just made a noise of confusion. Such insolence would not be accepted. He marched up to her and swung his sword. Her body dropped to the ground followed by his sword. 'She would have reacted in the same way…' There was an unexpected punch against his shoulder, "My my, I think we've been thrusted back into a world of danger and fear. Sakura wouldn't have liked what you did," Eriol said in an almost mocking tone.

Syaoran took a nervous step away from the maid. Just as he was going to kill her, he saw Sakura's face. So innocent… she believed that he was a good person. He killed her… He turned to Eriol but didn't say a word.

Eriol observed the tree in the garden then Syaoran. He looked tired from so much training. That tree should have taken him two days of training in order to cut it that much, but he managed to do it in a morning. He sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You're overworking yourself Syaoran. I'm sure Sakura's safe. I can still sense her aura from here."

It was true the warm aura was still detectable, but it only seemed detectable for Eriol. Syaoran was closing his eyes tightly trying to concentrate on it but didn't seem successful, "Do you think that only those with magic can sense it through the Chikarain barrier?"

"I think that may be-" Eriol stopped. Her aura was no longer there; it completely disappeared. He looked at Syaoran who still hadn't noticed that he stopped in mid-sentence, "That theory may be correct."

'Should I tell him,' he asked himself, 'Well I'd suppose I'd want to know there was a slight chance that Tomoyo was dead.' "Syaoran I think," he stopped again. There was something different in his expression. It was something he hardly even dreamed possible since the death of Syaoran's mother. Tears were falling from his eyes. "Sakura," he whispered, "Chikara continues to kill the ones I love."

"How did you-"

"I can feel it in my heart. Her warmth and happiness has left it," he answered, his voice beginning to crack from all the stress.

"Are you okay? You don't look too good," Eriol grabbed onto his arm to support him.

"Eriol," he started, "I want her back."

**ChiChi's Note: Bleh too short. I have to be careful about how I begin my chapters or else I'll get no where with the story. Well I hope it was okay for you guys. Review!**


	14. Dark Eriol

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: I'M SORRY! I didn't mean to keep you all waiting for so long! I honestly didn't think be so delayed in everything. Sorry. Well anyways, no romance for this chapter, just sick and twisted action. Yeah, I was kind of feeling morbid towards the end. Oh well, enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Dark Eriol

"I'm going to kill you! I left her under your protection!" Tomoyo screamed trying to break out of Eriol's grip so she could strangle Syaoran.

Syaoran sat on his throne looking out the window uninterested by the two standing before him. His face had absolutely no expression but he looked pale and exhausted. Tomoyo stopped struggling as soon as she noticed it, "Eriol… I'm fine; can you leave us alone for a moment?"

Eriol's jaw dropped, "Are you mad? He's unbalanced right now. The slightest memory of her can drive him off the edge," he whispered in her ear.

Tomoyo shook her head, "I'm capable of protecting myself, go."

He hesitated then stared at his cousin who still quietly stared out the window. He then let go of Tomoyo then left. She sighed and walked up to Syaoran. She kneeled before him and stared up. He gave no notice to her at all. "I apologize for earlier. I'm just frustrated right now. You should know the feeling; she's just as important to you as she is to me."

Syaoran turned his head towards Tomoyo showing a trace of interest. Tomoyo smiled warmly at him, "Eriol told me that you only smile when she's near."

He glared at her then brought his attention back to the window. She stood up and paced around the room. She was clueless as to what her point was; she just wanted to know how he truly felt. "When we were little, Touya used to read to us in the orchard near the palace. Sakura and I would always play under an apple tree while Touya would sit up on a branch. After the story was done he would pluck apples from the tree so we could eat together. One day, we all decided that we would stay together forever. Even if I wanted so desperately to travel the land, I didn't want Sakura to be alone…"

Syaoran shifted uncomfortably in his seat and nodded. She could see that she was getting through to him. "She wanted to stay here instead of being with me, thus breaking the promise," Tomoyo continued, "You must be really important to her, don't you think?"

He grimaced then stood up. His eyes became cold as soon as he drew his sword and held it at Tomoyo's neck, "Why do you all feel the need to torment me? You, Eriol, Chikara, and every other bloody person in my sight constantly remind me of that girl! I can't tolerate it any longer."

Tomoyo opened her mouth to defend herself but stopped. Syaoran's eyes were watery and his blade was beginning to tremble. She pushed the blade away and took his hand, "Don't cry… she wouldn't want you to be sad."

He glared at her and flicked her hand away, "I don't need your sympathies wench."

…Chikara…

Six Chikarains gathered around the wounded body of the Kinomoto princess. Their palms faced down to her and a light descended like a heavenly light onto her body. Adrien stood at the foot of the bed grinning, "How is the process coming along?"

"_Elle est encore dans un état sans-mouvement,_" one of the six whispered.

"Her brain passages have opened?"

"_Oui._"

He nodded and moved to where her head laid. He pushed the messy hair out of her face then placed his fingertips on her forehead immediately he was let into his mind. He searched the memory from when she was in the Li Kingdom. He was looking for something; something that would win him this war. King Syaoran's weakness. He didn't care how long it would take, as long as he could find it.

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

Eriol walked between the lines of soldiers training with swords waiting patiently for Syaoran and Tomoyo's arrival. Hopefully Syaoran would be arriving with something more than a dead corpse. Shivers went down Eriol's spine at the thought. He continued to walk along the last line then waved his hand in the air to give the men a few minutes of a break. The soldiers groaned and all collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. He felt like doing the same, but then felt a piercing aura slashing through his senses. He smirked and turned around. He searched the area with a quick glance and smiled at the girl in black and the one in red scurrying around mischievously. "How amusing," he exclaimed enthusiastically.

He was tempted to go after them but decided to save his fun for later, for he already was concentrating on the aura behind him. "How goes the tormenting days of mourning my dear kinsman?" he asked rotating on his heel.

Syaoran was already glaring at everything in sight, most likely because all the men were taking a break. Eriol smirked at the faint traces of dry tears on his cheeks. Tomoyo must have made quite an impact on him. He searched for the violet-eyed beauty but found no trace of her. "She went into the market for food," Syaoran muttered, "I'll take over the troops for now. Make sure that she doesn't do anything rash… no have her make sure that _you _do nothing rash."

Eriol rolled his eyes and strolled towards the commercial area of the refuge, "You have no faith in me."

…Where Tomoyo is…

Tomoyo carried a basket filled with loaves of bread and walked along the roads where starving children were playing. She kneeled down by a group of them and held the basket out to them. The children licked their lips but did not move towards the food. They stared questioningly at each other then at Tomoyo, "Are you hungry?"

"You have to give it to them. Right now, they think that you are just flaunting your good fortune before them," a voice came from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Eriol smiling at the children. He walked over to Tomoyo and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket. He then took the child's hand and gingerly placed it in his hand. The child smiled and began splitting it in even pieces to share with his friends. "You don't need to do that, I bought plenty for everyone," Tomoyo mentioned.

She placed the basket at the little boy's feet then walked away, pulling Eriol along with her. "So this is the refuge that Sakura was talking about," she murmured.

"She came here? Why?" Eriol enquired.

"King Syaoran told her to come here if we came into the castle," she laughed, "She told me everything about this place, and I mean everything."

A grin tugged on Eriol's lips, "I sense that you know an interesting secret. May I know what it is?"

"Well… Sakura and King Syaoran went and Sakura jumped into this pond then… don't you need to get back to training the soldiers? King Syaoran told me of how you were here solely to prepare these men."

Eriol realized she was right and sighed, "Well done, you completely managed to avoid my request."

He walked over to the field and she followed. Syaoran was making the men do push ups using only their left arms. Once he caught a glimpse of the two he glared. He stormed over to where Eriol was and took one look at Tomoyo, obviously a signal for her to go away. Tomoyo nodded and took a few steps away from the two. You could see the differences between the two just by looking at them. Syaoran's current state made him look like a madman thirsting for blood, while Eriol seemed to be as laid back as a court jester. Eriol suddenly stopped smiling and looked at Tomoyo nervously; he glared at Syaoran and placed his hand on his sword. A smirk appeared on Syaoran's face then he walked off. Tomoyo gave Eriol a confused look, but all he did was smile in response. He turned and faced the crowd of men, "No more slacking from now on. We're going to do this the proper way."

The tone in his voice shocked Tomoyo. It was so harsh and inhuman. What surprised her even more was the look on his face. He looked angry with every man there. His unforgiving eyes swept the crowd making everyone cringe in fear. There standing before her was a complete stranger. His uncaring eyes met hers and immediately softened. A smile appeared on his face, confusing all of the soldiers. They followed his gaze and stared, amazed, at Tomoyo. Whispers broke out amongst the men, forcing Eriol to glare at them until they all submitted into silence. Tomoyo ran away from the training field slightly disturbed from seeing a different side to Eriol. It was as if he wasn't himself during that short moment. She ran blindly into a grouping of trees. She had no idea where she was going, but she needed couldn't stand the confusion that she was just put through. 'Who was that? That wasn't Eriol!' She tripped over a piece of uneven land and landed on her knees. She stared at the ground wondering why she was so frustrated. "I see the colder side of Eriol isn't one that you enjoy," a voice commented in a bored tone.

Tomoyo looked up and saw Syaoran sitting close to the small spring. He dragged his fingers across the surface then turned to Tomoyo, "Only bad things happen in this place. It makes people miserable."

"That's not true," Tomoyo whispered.

"How do you know? You've only been here for less than a day and already you've seen the effect that this place takes on people."

"Sakura loves this place… if I'm not mistaken this spot exactly."

Syaoran became stiff and stared at the water, "Wh-why would she-"

"Isn't it obvious?" She crossed her arms and sat by the water, "I think that behind all bad things… there's good, right? I honestly did not enjoy seeing Eriol's, um, 'darker' side, but I know that deep down, he's kind hearted and cares about everyone in his life."

Syaoran scoffed and sat down next to her, "But still there will always be a dark side to a person. Even the kindest person in the land can't be all good."

Tomoyo stared at him, "You're very pessimistic. I have yet to see your good side though; you're never in a pleasant mood."

Syaoran gave the same reaction, "I cannot waste my time merrily frolicking about like everyone else. I have to maintain order in my kingdom even if I must save this wretched place."

"This place is not as severe as you describe it to be!"

"Is it really? This place is the reason that Eriol is like _that._"

Tomoyo gave Syaoran and incredulous look. He smirked and leaned back, "It happened when we were five I think…"

_**Flashback**_

"Good morning dearest cousin. How unexpected to find you here today," the small azure-eyed boy exclaimed.

Syaoran frowned, "Get away from me Eriol."

"Yes but-"

"I order you to be quiet!"

"You're not king yet though."

"Well I'm prince so get away from me."

"My son be kind to your kinsman," Queen Yelan declared in a commanding voice, "I must go and make an announcement so I expect you to behave. Come Meilin."

Queen Yelan walked away gracefully followed by a young girl in peasant clothing and long black hair trailing behind her. Syaoran glared at Eriol and marched off. Eriol followed at a slow pace which annoyed Syaoran. Every ten feet, Syaoran would repeat, "Go away," but Eriol would not leave. He frowned and whipped around, "Go home Eriol!"

The boy smiled in response, "This morning these men barged into my house and called my dad out of his study. They brought him away in a hurry so I think they need his help. So I can't go home 'cuz my dad's not home."

Syaoran opened his mouth to complain, but was interrupted by the sounds of grunts and groans. The two boys stared at the gap between the two stores ahead of them. They could see some type of movement in it but couldn't see who was there. The two approached the stores quickly and pressed their backs against the walls. Slowly, they inched towards the corners and peered around them. There were four men beating another man with the butts of their spears rather harshly. Eriol's eyes widened in terror and tears began to form in his eyes. Syaoran looked over at him and jumped with surprise as he finally saw his cheerful cousin glare for the first time. Eriol knelt down and picked up a rock the size of his fist and smashed it into one of the store windows. People were soon attracted to the commotion and began to gather. Eriol, seeming absolutely out of his mind, picked up a shard of glass and walked slowly up to the men who were now using the sharp sides of the spears. The men stopped and looked at the boy, "Hey stop, there's a kid here."

Eriol stared at the limp corpse lying in a puddle of blood. The men laughed and left the alleyway pushing Eriol to the side. He followed the men, groping the wall for support. He accidentally pricked his finger on the sharp piece of glass and smiled sadistically. "This is your punishment," he called out to the leader of the group.

He raised his hand and suddenly the man was bound to the spot. Eriol grinned and walked up to him. "Look at my face," Eriol whispered, pressing the glass into the man's flesh and dragging it along his body, "I look like him, don't I?"

The man let out an agonized scream, making Eriol laugh hysterically, "Did that man scream like that mister? Did you torture him slowly before killing him?"

The other three men gave Eriol horrified looks and ran off. His head turned to their direction and he brought his attention away from his victim. "Did he try to run away in fear like you?" Eriol screamed, "His body must have felt like it was burning while you hit him!"

Eriol raised his palm parallel to the other three and cast a spell. Screams came from the men as their bodies set on fire. Eriol returned to the leader and continued to carve into his skin. "Why did you kill him mister?" he stared up at the man crying in pain, "Answer me or else I'll cut something off."

The man shrieked in fear, "He was a demon. Anyone who practices magic should die!"

"Do you think I should die?" Eriol whispered trying to concentrate on his cutting.

"Ye-"

"Think carefully mister, a mean answer might make me lose my concentration and I might end up stabbing you."

"No, no, no!"

Eriol stopped torturing him and released all of his captives from the spells, "These wounds will remind all of you who you killed this day," he turned to the leader, "And you will always remember the name carved into your body… Hiiragizawa. For it is that man's and mine. Remember that on this day… you killed my father."

"Eriol!" a gasp came from behind him.

He turned and faced his Aunt Yelan, "What in Heaven's name are you doing?"

Eriol seemed frozen in time for a moment as everyone around stared at him. He fell to his knees and began to cry. He buried his head in his hands and called out to his father and remained there, feared by all.

_**End of Flashback**_

**ChiChi's Note: Hate me? I apologize, but look on the bright side, my school ends in five days so I can write to my hearts content. Okay review!**


	15. White Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**ChiChi's Note: Hello my very patient readers! I'm sorry I didn't update soon enough, again. I can't write often again because I'm taking summer school :( Damn the person who messed up my schedule! It's their fault for the lateness of this chapter. Anyways, another cut and paste job. (If you get bored, skip the italics, but it's always nice to be reminded of the warm and fuzzy moments that we all share!) Enjoy! **

Chapter 15

White Magic

"_What did you think you were doing? Answer me wench," Syaoran pulled at her hair causing her to whimper._

_Her hand rose to pry his hand off, "You're freezing! Are you ill? Do you not have a medicine man in your kingdom?"_

_He stared at her with confused eyes. She took his hand in hers in attempt to warm them, "Is that better?"…_

_Syaoran stared at her hesitantly; he seemed in pain. She curtsied, "I'll try my best to activate my orb for you, and I will not leave your side until I do… master."_

_She looked up at him with a smile finding him stunned by her actions. A warm heat surrounded her wrist…_

"_Who is Tomoyo?"_

"_She was my cousin and the other princess of my kingdom, master. Lord Hiiragizawa saw to it that she was slaughtered."_

"_Her name sounds so familiar, yet I cannot remember who she is."_

_There was a long silence. "Who is queen Yelan? I read about her in books about the Li Kingdom."_

_Syaoran raised his hand to strike her. "Who is she master?" she demanded._

_He lowered his hand and explained to her how Chikarain outsiders were different from regular Chikara citizens. "What does this have to do with queen Yelan?" the girl asked._

"_Queen Yelan was my mother. One day I playing hide-and-seek with her, and while I was hiding, a bunch of people from Chikara including them, barged in and made her die a slow and painful death."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It's the most sickening way to die. They start by cutting off your fingers, then your hands, then your arms, and everything keeps getting cut off until your completely diced. And that is why I must go to war with Chikara."…_

_Syaoran circled around her, "You said earlier that you were trying to melt my heart. What did you mean by that?"_

_"It means that you're a coldhearted bastard," she spat._

_Syaoran smiled in amusement. Heat was emitted from the bracelet. "No one has ever spoken to me like you do in my entire life."_

_"You always seem so angry. It scares people."_

_Syaoran closed the gap between them and placed his hand on her cheek, "Will you melt my heart then?"_

"_U-ummm…"_

_He smirked and leaned in closer to her, "Will you?"_

_His arms wrap around her waist and he whispered very softly, "Melt my heart."_

King Adrien removed himself from the clairvoyant spell he had placed on Sakura's body and grinned, "Princess Sakura Kinomoto you have more power than you think. I shall definitely win this war."

…Li Kingdom Refuge…

"I don't get it," Tomoyo mumbled as she contemplated the story that she just heard, "What does that have to do with why he's being like that right now?"

Syaoran smirked and got up, "We should head back to the village."

She got up and followed him. He seemed to be at peace ever since she mentioned Sakura to him. Her name alone seemed to keep him calm in such a situation as this. King Adrien was going to definitely going to die for kidnapping Sakura. Tomoyo couldn't believe that she was fooled by him. She honestly thought that Chikara was the most righteous out of the two kingdoms but she was so wrong. Sakura had explained to her that Syaoran still carried a grudge against Chikara for killing his mother, and now Adrien had taken his army. Tomoyo bit her lip, how were they to win with only half of the Li kingdom's warriors and a few farmers and villagers? Syaoran stopped and turned staring past Tomoyo. A smile slowly tugged on his lips and he gave a sigh, "Are you able to sense auras princess?"

Tomoyo shook her head, "I have never received any magical training, and I'm only making things up as I go along."

Syaoran nodded his head, "Well for the past few days, Sakura's aura vanished from both Eriol's and my senses and that meant that she was either in an incredibly weak state or she was dead."

"And you didn't tell me?" Tomoyo shouted in outrage, "What in the world is wrong with you?"

"I would warn you not to take that tone with me princess," Syaoran warned placing his hand on his sword, "I've been extremely charitable in your case."

Tomoyo kept her mouth shut and waited for him to continue. "As I was saying," he started, "Her aura vanished but lately we've been able to sense it again. It was incredibly weak but it just got stronger right now. It's back to its original state so your cousin is fine."

Tomoyo sighed with relief, "Thank you for telling me."

She scrunched her nose trying to decide whether she should ask him about the relation between right now and the story that he had told her about Eriol. She already bugged him enough with her questions but she wanted desperately to know. "I threatened to kill you," Syaoran said randomly.

"What?"

"You're thinking about the story right? The reason why he's acting that way is because I threatened the life of someone that he loved," Syaoran explained, "He's lost so many people that he couldn't protect. He went insane when Kaho and his mother died. He was only seven and he managed to kill the leader of the army, but then again he's the only one here who can use ma… gic…"

He frowned and ran down the path towards the village. Tomoyo tried to run after him but he was too fast. She wondered what could have been the problem. Was she that difficult to be around? She continued to run until she found Syaoran standing in the village. The villagers passed by hurriedly with nervous looks on their faces caused by the fear of their king. She noticed that Syaoran looked unnatural, as if he wasn't happy with something and was trying to hide it. "What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked.

"Syaoran! Do you sense it?" Eriol shouted running down the road, "It's coming from that orchard near the palace."

Eriol caught up with them and cast a look over at Tomoyo. His expression was so calm but that's all it was. She could not tell what was going through his head at that moment. Eriol suddenly glared at Syaoran and brushed past him, "Dearest cousin, do not lay a scratch on her or I shall do the same thing to. I'll go ahead and meet you at the orchard."

"Idiot, then why don't you do anything about it?" he muttered beneath his breath. He smirked and pulled out a dagger. He grabbed Tomoyo and held her against him, facing Eriol. He held his weapon to her neck and stared at Eriol with a challenging look, "We're equally matched Eriol. Why don't you show your princess what a monster you can be."

He grabbed Tomoyo's hand and placed a cut on her palm. She shut her eyes tightly and whimpered in pain. Syaoran pushed her to the side making her fall back on the wall of one of the shops. She clenched her fists and peeked through the slits of her eyelids. Eriol had a panicked look on his face; his hand remained on his sword's handle, half-drawn. He was contemplating whether to attack or not. Her eyes opened fully and she moved towards him, "Eriol… what's the matter? Are you alright?"

She reached for his hand but he withdrew at the sight of the blood dripping from it. He drew his sword completely and glared Syaoran, "I told you not to hurt her."

Syaoran made no attempt to defend himself. He stood there; his gaze on Tomoyo, waiting for his punishment. Eriol's expression was now like before. Heartless. He began to laugh, "Dearest cousin, I never dreamed this moment would come. Don't worry; you'll be with you dear mother soon."

Syaoran smirked, "Or is it you who will be joining _your _mother?"

Tomoyo's jaw dropped, 'Is he insane? What is he thinking? Why does he keep provoking Eriol to grow in rage?' Eriol growled and pushed off his foot giving him great speed as he charged towards Syaoran. Tomoyo gasped, 'If he's defenseless then he'll die for sure! If he does Sakura will never forgive me.' Tomoyo quickly spun on her toes then pointed her hand at Eriol. Eriol's body collided with an unknown force and threw him against the ground. Syaoran stared at Tomoyo with a scheming look on his face. "What are you up to?" she demanded.

Just for a millisecond Syaoran had turned into a girl with long blond hair that fell past her shoulders and wrapped around her waist. A white garment cloaked her marking her as a Chikarain. She smiled at Tomoyo and turned back into Syaoran. "White magic!" Tomoyo gasped.

She took the sword that Eriol had dropped when he hit the shield and went to grab the imposter. She took hold of her hand but the Chikarain tried to get away causing them both to fall over. "Eriol help! Tomoyo's trying to kill me," Syaoran's body shouted.

Eriol pushed his body from off the ground and staggered over to them. He grabbed Tomoyo and helped her up. He then pushed her to the side and stared down at Syaoran. Eriol took her bloodied hand in his and stared down at the ground. Tomoyo winced as a tear from his eyes fell and landed on the wound, making it burn. She took her other hand and went to wipe the tears from his eyes, "Don't listen to him. You know I would never do- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Eriol looked up at her with cold eyes with tears that were barely being acknowledged by him. His nails dug deeply into her wound and tore at her flesh. He pushed her against the wall and pressed his weight against her. He smiled as the back of his hand glided down from her hair and down her face, "You're so beautiful… it makes me want to cut off your face."

Tomoyo gasped in horror and looked to Syaoran who simply smiled at her. "Eriol that's not Syaoran that's an imposter," she screamed.

Another tear slipped from Eriol's eyes, "You're trying to kill the last of my family. Do you hate me that much?"

She looked back at Syaoran. He waved at her and in a sudden flash; she was back to her original form. She flicked her hair and smirked; she gave an exaggerated bow and left. Tomoyo was speechless. She had absolutely no idea what to do. "I would never try to kill Syaoran. Sakura loves him so why should I hurt her?" Tomoyo tried to explain.

Eriol let go of her and let her drop to the ground. She watched as he walked away, but then he stopped. He kneeled down, picked up his sword and returned to her. He pointed at her and casted a floating spell on her. He dragged his fingertip upwards and along with it went Tomoyo. He replaced his sword into its sheath and pulled out a dagger. "Eriol no, please listen to me! That was a Chikarain using magic to disguise herself as Syaoran!"

"I refuse to listen to a traitorous wench," Eriol murmured, "There is no possible reason that will keep me from killing you."

He took aim for her heart and grinned at his easy kill. "Yes there is," he heard her whisper, but he chose to ignore it. He held the dagger up and brought it to her heart with great force. "Because I love you," she whispered before closing her eyes.

Eriol dropped the dagger and stared at her in fear. His breathing quickened and he ran his fingers through his hair, almost pulling it out. That was the first time she had ever told him that… and it was probably the last.

…The orchard…

Syaoran ran into the field and looked behind him. There was no one in sight, 'Princess Tomoyo must have lost me.' He stared into the grouping of apple trees. 'Apple trees…' the memory was stuck in his brain. Her tears falling from her eyes; her hateful words. He frowned, but then noticed a light radiating from the trees. He felt a great amount of white magic coming from within it. He cautiously took a few steps towards the soft glow and was engulfed by it. He found himself standing in a white room and almost immediately he knew that he was standing on Chikarain land. There weren't many things in the room; only a table with dead flowers on them, a large chair placed beside the bed, and a pair of glass doors shining onto the disarray of bed sheets. The sheets on the bed moved around slightly and the top of a girl's head peeked out from them. She sat up with excitement upon spotting him and smiled.

His heart began to beat quicker with what he believed was happiness. Her smile made the lips on his face curve upwards as well. He held his breath hoping that this wasn't a dream, "Sakura."

**ChiChi's Note: What's up with that? Sakura's alive? And OMG what about Tomoyo? Ah the tragedy! Hehehehe. On to my Black Butterfly chapter! Who knows what I'm going to do next grins evilly the shuffles away. Review!**


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